Michael Bisping recently laid out a possible route for Michael Chandler to secure his long-awaited bout with Conor McGregor, despite the American's upcoming clash with his old rival, Charles Oliveira, looming on the horizon.
"Iron" finds himself simmering with mounting bitterness, having been mired on the sidelines for an extended period while awaiting a fight with McGregor. Now, with that elusive matchup still out of reach, Chandler is set to face Oliveira in a five-round co-main event at UFC 309 on November 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Chandler and Oliveira's upcoming bout will serve as a rematch of their vacant lightweight title clash at UFC 262 in May 2021, where "Do Bronx" secured a second-round TKO victory to claim the championship.
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Chandler has been biding his time, eagerly awaiting his showdown with "The Notorious" ever since they faced off as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter season 31 last year. Throughout this period, Chandler has stayed focused on his training while turning down opportunities to face other contenders.
However, after encountering numerous setbacks in booking their bout, the two were eventually set to headline UFC 303 this past June, only for the bout to be scrapped at the eleventh hour when McGregor withdrew just two weeks before the event.
The UFC 309 fight doesn’t entirely close the door on Chandler’s ambitious plans to face the former two-division UFC champion. In fact, Chandler remains optimistic, expressing confidence that his highly anticipated clash with McGregor could still come to fruition sometime in 2025.
Bisping Discusses How Chandler Might Still Land McGregor Fight
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Bisping shared his thoughts on the current landscape of the UFC lightweight division, particularly as Chandler is set to fight Oliveira in a high-stakes rematch.
The UFC Hall of Famer acknowledged that while this bout doesn’t carry the same blockbuster allure as a fight with McGregor, it holds equal significance for "Iron." A victory over "Do Bronx" could propel Chandler back into the heart of a second title contention conversation.
He's stepping in against Charles Oliveira," Bisping said. "We know this is a rematch. Of course, Chandler had some success in the first fight—he did hurt Oliveira, but he also got hurt himself. He got dropped, so this is a very relevant fight for Michael Chandler. It's not the Conor McGregor matchup, but it is a fight that is relevant in the title picture. If Chandler can go out there, if he can beat Charles Oliveira, if he can get his hands on Islam Makhachev next, which is what he says he wants, and become the champion of the world, then he can get a fight with Conor McGregor down the line.
"The Count" went on to suggest that if Chandler manages to capture the 155-pound title, it could pave the way for a future showdown with McGregor. Although McGregor’s prolonged absence from the Octagon would undoubtedly raise questions and draw heavy scrutiny, his undeniable star power could still secure him the fight.
Even though Conor McGregor shouldn't get a title fight and you'll all say I'm crazy, the man is super popular, and numbers talk, right? Money talks, bullsh*t runs the marathon. If Chandler is the champ, and Chandler said that McGregor's road back to the Octagon only goes through him, we could see Chandler vs. McGregor for the lightweight strap. But there's a lot of ifs and buts.
Chandler has been absent from the Octagon for nearly two years now. His last appearance came against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022, where "Iron" suffered a third-round submission loss despite a valiant showing. Meanwhile, McGregor has remained on the sidelines ever since suffering a devastating leg break during his trilogy bout against Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.