Michael Chandler has offered his thoughts on Conor McGregor following the Irishman’s 18-month ban for violating UFC’s anti-doping policy.
Earlier this week, it emerged that former two-weight UFC champion McGregor, 37, had missed biological sample collections by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD).
The missed collections happened on 13 June as well as 19 and 20 September 2024.
The Irishman accepted 18 months of ineligibility for the violation.
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As a result, he will be out of action until at least 20 March 2026, as the sanction has been backdated to start on 20 September 2024 – his most recent violation.
CSAD acknowledged that McGregor was recovering from injury when he missed the collections, and he is said to have cooperated with the inquiry.
McGregor has not fought in the UFC since July 2021, when he sustained a TKO defeat to Dustin Poirier.
In June 2024, McGregor was due to fight Chandler in a welterweight bout, but the 37-year-old withdrew due to a broken toe.
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Since then, McGregor has been involved in various high-profile incidents away from the UFC.
Earlier this year, he caused outrage after footage emerged of him punching a man in an Ibiza bar, before being spotted with a mystery woman who wasn’t his wife, Dee, on a Florida beach.
In November 2024, the Irishman was found liable for the assault of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel six years ago after a lengthy civil court case in the Republic of Ireland back in November 2024.
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Hand was awarded €248,000 (£206,000) in damages. McGregor lost his civil jury appeal.
Since the various incidents, McGregor has been out of action, but recently teased a return on the UFC White House card, which is set to be held on June 14 - U.S. President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
McGregor would be permitted to fight on the card as his ban expires before the aforementioned date.
It is unclear who McGregor’s potential opponent could be, but there will be no shortage of volunteers given the finances involved.
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Chandler will likely be one of the contenders to face the ‘Notorious’. The American, who boasts an MMA record of 23-10-0, has claimed that “nobody believes” in McGregor or what he says about a potential comeback.
Speaking on behalf of BetVictor, Chandler, 39, also suggested that McGregor should buy an island and surround himself with “training partners and close family members” if he wants to become the ‘old Conor McGregor’.
On his cancelled bout against McGregor, Chandler said: “I hold no ill will towards Connor [McGregor] for pulling out of the fight. I hold no ill will for the fight taking a while, and no ill will towards the UFC for not booking it sooner or rebooking it quickly.
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“It’s just not up to me. And once you realise it's not up to you, you can just hold it with your hands open and say, man, whatever is going to be is going to be. I'm just gonna focus on what I can.”
He added: “I think Conor wants to, and needs to, come back to prove all the doubters wrong. To say I told you so. I told you it may have taken longer than we thought it was going to, maybe I had some missteps here and some missteps there, but here I am. I showed up so we'll see.”
The 39-year-old also said that he hopes to fight McGregor at the White House in June.
Topics: Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler, UFC, MMA
Luke Davies