Michael
Chandler has moved on from Conor
McGregor — at least for now.
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The former Bellator
MMA lightweight champion will face Charles
Oliveira in a rematch at UFC 309
on Nov. 16. Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing following an
initial report from Barstool Sports. UFC 309 takes place at Madison Square
Garden in New York. A heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and
Stipe
Miocic is expected to headline the card, but that bout has not
been confirmed by the promotion. Chandler vs. Oliveira 2 will
reportedly be a five-round, co-main event.
Chandler addressed the decision to take a different opponent after
waiting to face McGregor since their coaching stint on “The
Ultimate Fighter 31” in the summer of 2023.
“I got more promo, more eyeballs, more of everything in the last
year and half than I would have gotten in three fights, and now I
get the opportunity to take a title run,” Chandler said on his
YouTube channel. “I beat Charles Oliveira, I become the No. 1
contender. I beat Charles Oliveira, I can choose to go fight Islam
[Makhachev] or Arman [Tsarukyan]. I believe it’s going to be Islam.
Or, if Conor can finally get his house in order and put together a
training camp, and show up to a fight, maybe I go fight Conor and
we finish The Ultimate Fighter 31. This is the ultimate bet on
yourself…
“I still have [the McGregor fight], even though the fight is still
to be determined. But I am pivoting. Why? Because I’m a fighter
through and through, and I think you guys have forgotten that.
Nobody would have had the balls to make this decision and bet on
themselves like this.”
Chandler and Oliveira initially fought for the vacant lightweight
crown at UFC 262, where “do Bronx” captured the belt with a
second-round technical knockout victory on May 15, 2021. Including
that bout, the 38-year-old Chandler has lost three of his last four
Octagon apppearances. He hasn’t competed since falling to Dustin
Poirier via third-round submission at UFC 281 in November
2022.
A former lightweight champion, Oliveira is coming off a
closely-contested split-decision loss to Arman
Tsarukyan in a title eliminator bout at UFC 300 on April 13.
The 34-year-old Brazilian won 11 straight fights within the Las
Vegas-based promotion from June 2018 to May 2022.