Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3155338/ufc-michael-chandler-calls-out-conor-mcgregor Mixed Martial Arts
UFC: Michael Chandler calls out Conor McGregor for 2022 fight, and gets a quick response
- Days after gruelling UFC 268 loss to Justin Gaethje, American is already looking to challenge former two-weight champ
- ‘I’m down at some stage,’ replies McGregor, who congratulates Chandler on ‘great fight’
Conor McGregor walks in the Octagon before his lightweight bought against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Photo: AFP
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler is just days removed from a gruelling decision loss to Justin Gaethje but is already angling for a 2022 fight with Ireland‘s Conor McGregor.
And from the looks of it, the Irishman is interested in making the fight happen at some point.
Chandler (22-7) battled Gaethje (23-3) in the first bout of the UFC 268 main card on Saturday night in New York City. The bout blew the roof off Madison Square Garden and earned both Americans US$50,000 Fight of the Night bonus cheques.
The action was also injurious enough that both men were taken to hospital immediately after the fact. But while Chandler is still very much on the mend, he’s already looking ahead to his next challenge in the Octagon.
Posting on Twitter on Monday, the 35-year-old made a call for a 2022 showdown with the former two-division champion McGregor (22-6).
2022 pic.twitter.com/Da0D3zhOEr
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) November 8, 2021
It didn‘t take long for McGregor to respond.
The 33-year-old Irishman didn‘t commit to the bout outright, but expressed some openness to it and commended Chandler for his riveting fight with Gaethje.
“I’m down at some stage for sure,” McGregor wrote. “Great fight the other night Mike, congrats!”
“Thank you sir,” Chandler responded. “It would be my pleasure. See you soon.”
Chandler and McGregor are both still ranked inside the lightweight top 10, at No 5 and 9 respectively. Both are on two-fight losing streaks.
Before his setback against Gaethje, Chandler was knocked out by Charles Oliveira in a failed bid for the vacant lightweight championship. McGregor, meanwhile, is riding consecutive stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier, the latter of which left him with a broken leg.