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Joe Rogan interviews Conor McGregor at the UFC 264 weigh-ins. Photo: REUTERS

UFC 274: Joe Rogan says Conor McGregor fighting Michael Chandler makes sense – ‘take my money’

  • Chandler calls McGregor out after KO win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 on Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Former Bellator champ believes bout would ‘sell pay-per-views’ and UFC commentator Rogan agrees, calling it ‘a very marketable fight’

Joe Rogan is in full support of Michael Chandler’s call for a fight with Conor McGregor.

Chandler challenged McGregor to a fight after scoring a knockout of the year contender against Tony Ferguson on the main card of UFC 274 on Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona.

Rogan, who was on commentary duty for the event, shared his thoughts on the potential match-up after the fights concluded, and left little doubt about where he stands on the idea.

“Maybe he can coax Conor McGregor into a fight,” Rogan told his broadcast colleagues Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik. “That’s a fight that makes sense. That’s a very marketable fight.

“Set it up. Take my money. Let’s go.”

Chandler, 36, elaborated on his interest in a fight with McGregor at the UFC 274 post-fight press conference.

Michael Chandler does a backflip in celebration of his knockout victory against Tony Ferguson at UFC 274. Photo: USA TODAY Sports

“That fight with Conor, I’m serious about it,” he said. “You’re going to be hard-pressed to find somebody who doesn’t think I’m one of the most exciting guys on the planet now. I think I’ve proven that numerous times now. Conor needs a big fight to put butts in seats to sell pay-per-views.

“We’ll see what happens. When Conor comes back and he’s healthy, I’ll be there.”

McGregor was quick to acknowledge Chandler’s call-out on Twitter. While the 33-year-old Irishman seems open to the match-up, it does not seem to be an urgent priority for him.

“Conor has earned the right to keep his options open,” Chandler said of McGregor’s response to his call-out. “He’s a combat sports icon. He’s one of the biggest sports stars on the planet, and he deserves to make his decisions when he makes his decisions.

“Nothing but respect. I’ve never been the guy to come at Conor. I don’t need to disrespect somebody or throw potshots at them to want to beat them inside of the cage.”

UFC 274: Oliveira taps out Gaethje, says ‘something is missing’

With his win over Ferguson, Chandler (23-7) rebounded from a decision loss to Justin Gaethje, and a knockout loss to Charles Oliveira. Those victories were preceded by a knockout win over Dan Hooker in his UFC debut.

McGregor (22-6), meanwhile, is on the mend after suffering a broken leg in a July 2021 TKO loss to Dustin Poirier.

It was his second loss in a row to the American after succumbing to second round strikes in January of the same year. His last win occurred in early 2020, when he knocked out fan favourite veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the first round.

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