Topics: UFC, Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler, MMA, Dana White
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler have exchanged furious messages on social media after their fight was pushed back yet again.
McGregor, 36, was expected to face Chandler, 38, in his long-awaited return to the UFC later this year.
The Irish superstar has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in 2021.
He was set to face Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29, but was forced to pull out of the event in Las Vegas after breaking his toe.
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The pair were expected to meet in the octagon later this year but on Friday, UFC boss Dana White confirmed that McGregor would not be returning until 2025 at the earliest.
Chandler will instead face former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 on November 16, before a potential fight with McGregor early next year.
Chandler took to Instagram to explain the situation to his fans while also mocking McGregor in heated four-minute video, which you can watch below.
"The simple fact of the matter is, you're the most unreliable human being that has ever graced mixed martial arts," Chandler said. "So what am I going to do? I'm going to fight Charles Oliveira. Why am I going to fight Charles Oliveira? Number 1, it's a badass fight. Number 2, it's a rematch. It's a redemption story for me."
"Now I get the opportunity to fight Charles Oliveira, become the No. 1 contender, and then I've got options," Chandler added.
"If Conor can finally get his house in order, if he can finally string together a couple of sober days, string together a couple of days where he's actually training and actually feeling good, and he can actually finally make good on his promise to make the greatest comeback in combat sports history, if he can finally pony up, then I will fight Conor after I dispatch of Charles Oliveira."
McGregor initially reacted angrily to the news of the change of Chandler's next opponent, with the former two-weight world champion seemingly blindsided by the announcement.
In an expletive-filled X rant, McGregor sent a stern message to the UFC and Chandler: "Give me my f*****g date!"
But he later added: "As far as Chandler rematching Oliveira, I'm happy with the date.
"It's November. Maybe we can still do it after, if they're not going to line me up until December, maybe January or February, one of these dates.
"Maybe we can still do it. I'm just a bit out of the loop with it. All I can do is carry on doing what I'm doing.
"I test under the testing administration, I train daily, and that's it. Let's see what happens. Hopefully, it all comes to fruition."
