Michael Chandler took a surprising stance on Conor McGregor's disastrous return to the Octagon at UFC 329 last weekend.
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor's comeback fight lasted mere seconds after suffering a knee injury against Max Holloway at UFC 329. In his first fight in five years, McGregor suffered a right knee injury after opening up the fight with an attempted spinning wheel kick.
McGregor will undergo surgery on the unspecified injury and is expected to miss at least a year to recover. It was a disastrous and abrupt end to McGregor's comeback after his long road back to the Octagon.
Before McGregor squared off with Holloway, he was supposed to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303. Just weeks before the event, McGregor withdrew from the bout due to a toe injury that further postponed his attempted comeback.
After watching McGregor's comeback at UFC 329, Chandler scolded skeptics of McGregor who feel the UFC legend ‘quit' against Holloway.
Michael Chandler defends Conor McGregor after ‘quitter' labels following UFC 329
In a recent Instagram story, Chandler reacted to McGregor's disastrous return.
“I would be absolutely surprised, the most surprised person on the planet, if Conor just showed up for a paycheck. Limped in there, and said ‘I don't care', giving you guys one minute, shave his head into a mohawk, do the intros, and just bow out one minute later. One thing he is not is a quitter. He isn't a bamboozler,†Chandler said of McGregor.
“The body is unpredictable, and every fight is unpredictable. If you look at Conor, because I've had a lot of people say why would he do that? He came out like an ‘idiot' and jumped across the cage. Conor always does that. I'm just as disappointed as you guys, because T-Mobile Arena was absolutely electric…and you're talking about the guy that's supposed to be disappointed. But he finally made the walk, showed up, and I believe he wants to fight me. I believe he tried to fight me, and I believe that's how the negotiations went. But other plans were made,†Chandler continued. “And the honor and integrity to stick to it and be a man of his word since he pulled out of that fight in 2024, I think he actually wanted to be a man of his word and see through to putting his name on that dotted line that had my name on it.
“But I know everybody is disappointed, but keep on watching. This ain't the last you're going to see of Conor, and I'm excited to see how it all plays out.â€
While Chandler remains optimistic about fighting McGregor, his recent struggles in the Octagon make a potential bout highly unlikely. Chandler most recently lost to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250 and hasn't won a fight since UFC 274.
Do you think Conor McGregor will fight in the UFC again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
On Saturday, Silva headlined the fourth iteration of Noche UFC, taking on Jose Miguel Delgado in the main event in Glendale, Arizona. And while he was slow to start, Silva was quick to finish, dropping Delgado in the third round and then tapping him with a one-armed rear-naked choke. Afterward, Silva called for the winner of the upcoming Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev title fight, but will he get it?
Following Noche UFC, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew (and Alexander K. Lee for a brief moment) chopped it up about Silva's impressive performance and what that portends for his future. Jed then also discussed Brandon Moreno's win over Joseph Morales in the co-main event, the rise of Tommy McMillen as a new star, Alexa Grasso's return to form, and the rest of the action from Glendale.
Watch the Noche UFC post-fight show above, or an audio-only version of the show can also be streamed below and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Ryan Garcia needed less than five total minutes to demolish Conor Benn to successfully defend his welterweight title before potentially setting up two even bigger fights for the future.
While he was heavily favored to win, Garcia still had to get the job done and it's safe to say he passed that test with flying colors. Best known for a blistering left hand, Garcia showed off his power in the right after blasted Benn with a single shot that sent the British boxer to the canvas in a heap.
Benn managed to make it back to his feet but Garcia wasn't going to stop until he ended the fight as he just kept hammering away and the referee had no choice but to stop the contest. The end came at 1:25 in the second round as Garcia earned the knockout victory.
“I feel at peace,†Garcia said after his title defense. “I've always had a right hand but I've always had injuries. I want to thank Conor for great buildup and a great match. Viva Mexico!â€
Garcia's left hand was landing early and often with Benn trying to find his way inside to show off some of his own power. Benn tried to show off some power as he was digging to the body and then going back up to the head but Garcia was quick to fire back with some nasty shots of his own.
As the second round got underway, Garcia uncorked a hellacious right hand that blasted Benn and he fell to the canvas. Benn was able to get back to his feet to make the 10 count but Garcia wasn't going to give him a moment to breathe.
Garcia just started blasting away with punches as Benn was desperate to survive.
The assault continued with Garcia just unloading shot sand Benn couldn't do much of anything but absorb the punishment until the referee saw enough to stop the fight before any further damage was done.
Garcia's win once again establishes him as one of the top welterweights in the sport but there are still plenty of challenges awaiting him including a potential showdown against Teofimo Lopez, who was in the crowd, and the same goes for Devin Haney.
Garcia previously defeated Haney but a positive drug test overturned the result to a no-contest and the “King†had to serve a one-year suspension. Now he wants that one back as well.
“Teofimo, get that ass up here,†Garcia shouted into the crowd. “Where you at? He wants to get crazy, we can get crazy. I'll beat your ass right now!
“Hopefully we get to beat Devin Haney's ass again for undisputed. F*ck the Haney's!â€
Garcia is already viewed as one of the biggest names in the sport and he's only setting himself up for bigger and better fights with a performance like he had on Saturday. Now he effectively has his pick for potential opponents as he moves forward with his career into 2027 and beyond.
Tom Aspinall issues statement on rumored UFC departure after coach's recent claims
The Octagon returned to Arizona for tonight's Noche UFC 4 event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses.
The 13-bout fight card was headlined by a men's featherweight bout featuring Jean Silva taking on Jose Delgado. The contest resulted in an amazing comeback win for Jean Silva. After being badly outpointed and dropped in the opening round, things did not really get a whole lot better for ‘Lord' in round two. Despite his slow start, Silva stormed back in round three by dropping Jose Delgado with a right hand and then securing a rear-naked choke to ultimately force a tapout just moments later. It was a big comeback win for the Brazilian, and one that puts him into immediate title contention at 145lbs.
Noche UFC 4 was co-headlined by a men's flyweight bout between Brandon Moreno and Joseph Morales. The matchup proved to be hard-fought back and forth affair. Morales got off to a good start, but the former champion was able to show his resilience by coming back strong in rounds two and three. After fifteen minutes of action, ‘The Assassin Baby' was awarded a much-needed split decision victory.
Following the conclusion of tonight's event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that 4 fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.
Fight of the night: Featherweight fighters Tommy McMillen and Marwan Rahiki each pocketed $100k for their thrilling war on tonight's Noche UFC 4 main card. McMillen ultimately won the contest by unanimous decision (29–28 x2, 29–27).
Performance of the night: Jean Silva earned an extra $100k for his third-round submission victory over Jose Delgado in tonight's event headliner (see that here).
Performance of the night: Sean King pocketed an extra $100k for his 36-second knockout (slam) victory over Jessie Rosas (see that here).
Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight's Noche UFC 4 event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!