Conor McGregor has offered his first reaction to long-scheduled opponent Michael Chandler losing to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.
In a since-deleted post on X, former two-division champion McGregor was complimentary toward Chandler for the Fight of the Night affair he put on with Oliveira that ultimately ended in a unanimous decision defeat at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“Cut Michael Chandler!” McGregor wrote. “Just kidding, good fight. Mad little fellow is Michael. I like em’!”
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) made his return from a two-year layoff for the rematch with Oliveira at UFC 309. He spent all that time healthy, waiting for a matchup with McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) to materialize after they were opposing coaches on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Following the fight, Chandler got on the microphone in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan and made a passionate call for McGregor to come back to the octagon and fight him.
McGregor hasn’t seen action since suffering a broken leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. He was scheduled to fight Chandler at UFC 303 in July but withdrew on less than three weeks’ notice due to a toe injury.
UFC CEO Dana White was asked about rebooking McGregor vs. Chandler at the UFC 309 post-fight news conference on Saturday but was noncommittal, stating that he expects McGregor won’t fight until late 2025.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Conor McGregor reacts to Michael Chandler’s loss at UFC 309
