After a will-they, won’t-they narrative that has stretched through all of 2024, Michael Chandler has finally said enough is enough and moved on from his planned, but not resolved, bout with Conor McGregor.
UFC boss Dana White revealed to Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports that Chandler will not face McGregor next, saying the former Bellator lightweight champion was “done waiting” for the Irishman to return.
And it was subsequently confirmed by Chandler on his own YouTube channel that he will instead face former lightweight champion, and former foe, Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, New York, on November 16.
Reports from MMA Junkie have corroborated those statements to confirm that Chandler vs. Oliveira is a confirmed booking for UFC 309, and UFC boss White is expected to announce the full card for the Madison Square Garden show, potentially including the heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
Chandler and McGregor were lined up to fight from the moment they were booked to coach against each other on The Ultimate Fighter. They were scheduled to face off during UFC International Fight Week at UFC 303 in late June, but a broken pinky toe sustained my McGregor during his preparations forced him to withdraw from the fight, and the bout was put on hold.
Now, three months on, and with seemingly no forward momentum towards a fight announcement, Chandler has switched targets and will instead face Oliveira in a rematch of Chandler’s second fight in the UFC.
Chandler had already made an impact on his Octagon debut with a first-round TKO of Dan Hooker in Abu Dhabi, with his victory thrusting him into a fight for the vacant undisputed lightweight title at UFC 262.
But, despite coming close to finishing Oliveira in the first round of their meeting in Houston, Texas, Oliveira came back in Round 2 to stop Chandler and capture the vacant belt.
Now Chandler is looking to avenge that loss and make a run at the lightweight title.
UFC 309: Confirmed fights
- Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler – lightweight
- Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders – middleweight
- Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araujo – women’s flyweight
- Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov – light heavyweight
- Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura – flyweight
- Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee – bantamweight
- Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj – welterweight
