Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler: what has been said so far between the two UFC stars ?

Michael Chandler is more confident than ever that Conor McGregor will be his opponent when he next enters the octagon. For more than a year, Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), a former UFC title contender and three-time Bellator lightweight champion, has been vying to be the one to welcome McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) back to the ring. Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler is a probable bout next year in UFC. Follow UFC News updates with InsideSport.In

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Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler: Dana White gives a nod

Although it hasn’t happened yet as “The Notorious” works to recover from a broken leg suffered in his July 2021 trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier, a significant development occurred this week. Chandler was thrilled to hear UFC president Dana White say on Thursday that a matchup between Chandler and McGregor is “likely to happen.” Chandler told MMA Junkie on Friday, “Obviously, Dana’s on board with it, I think the UFC’s on board with it, and I do think Conor’s on board with it.”

USADA is an obstacle

Meanwhile, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency appears to be the most significant obstacle in the way of McGregor returning to the cage (USADA). Before being cleared to compete, McGregor will likely need to submit to six months of random testing because he is not already in the testing pool. There has been a lot of conjecture and indignation that McGregor isn’t playing fairly, following some odd social media statements suggesting he may be utilizing illegal substances to properly heal his damaged leg.

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Michael Chandler calls out Conor McGregor

Michael Chandler made his UFC debut without many spectators being aware of who he was. The fight finished with a technical knockout in the first round. Chandler called out every lightweight contender, including Conor McGregor, at UFC 257 IN 2021 as a message to the rest of the lightweight division.

Michael Chandler calls out McGregor, Poirier and Khabib after his UFC debut 👀#UFC257

(via @ufc)pic.twitter.com/H1xNLNGmCD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 24, 2021

Also, after Chandler defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, he wasted no time calling the MMA star out. Chandler told TMZ, “If Conor returns any time soon, I think me and Conor would make some fireworks, and it’s a fight that fans want to witness.”

#WorldMMAAwards results: @MikeChandlerMMA wins “Knockout of the Year” for his front kick of Tony Ferguson pic.twitter.com/yredQGOG2t

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) December 9, 2022

Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler: betting odds

Since Dana White’s remarks, there has been a lot of interest in the fight, which would occur sometime in the second half of 2023. The fact that BetOnline.ag’s oddsmakers have published McGregor vs. Chandler UFC futures odds shows that they anticipate the fight will happen. With a superb MMA record of 22-6-0, McGregor, 34, has a 61% chance of winning the rumored battle against Chandler, 23, who has a 23-8-0 record.

Conor McGregor opens as the favourite in a potential fight with Michael Chandler:

Conor McGregor -155 (20/31)
Michael Chandler +135 (27/20)

(odds via @betonline_ag) 👀 pic.twitter.com/4JKFEo0ipi

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) December 9, 2022