TLDR
- Dana White confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show that Chandler vs McGregor won’t happen at the UFC White House event on June 14
- Chandler says he remains confident and focused on fighting McGregor at the White House despite White’s dismissal
- The two fighters coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter in 2023 but never fought after McGregor withdrew due to injury
- Chandler has not fought in the UFC since losing to Paddy Pimblett in April 2024
- While waiting, Chandler has returned to wrestling and expressed interest in facing Arman Tsarukyan in a grappling match
Sources: Bleacher Report | MMA Junkie | ESPN MMA
Michael Chandler says he won’t give up on his dream fight against Conor McGregor despite UFC CEO Dana White ruling out the matchup for the upcoming White House card.
White confirmed during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that Chandler versus McGregor will not take place at the UFC’s historic event on the White House lawn, tentatively scheduled for June 14. White dismissed the matchup when asked about it directly.
Chandler responded to the disappointing news during an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show. He admitted White’s comments were not encouraging but said he remains optimistic.
“Obviously, it’s not encouraging, it’s not great to hear,” Chandler said. “My reaction is: We will see. We’ll see how this whole thing plays out.”
The 39-year-old lightweight said no official fight announcements have been made for the White House card yet. He maintains what he calls a “confident expectancy” that he will fight McGregor at the event.
Three Years of Waiting
Chandler and McGregor first discussed fighting in 2023 when they coached opposite each other on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC scheduled their bout to headline UFC 303 in June 2024.
McGregor withdrew from that fight due to a broken toe injury. The UFC has not rebooked the matchup since then.
Chandler has been waiting over three years for the opportunity to face the former two-division champion. He told Helwani he will continue training and preparing until someone officially announces McGregor’s next opponent.
“Until I’m proven otherwise, we’ll just continue in this course of action until the announcement gets made,” Chandler said. He added that if McGregor doesn’t fight him, he wonders who else would make sense as an opponent.
White also downplayed recent rumors about McGregor facing Jorge Masvidal at the White House event. Chandler called those rumors “goofy stuff” and questioned who else besides him should fight McGregor.
Staying Active Through Wrestling
Chandler has not competed in the UFC octagon since losing to Paddy Pimblett in April 2024. He has stayed active by returning to his wrestling roots.
The former three-time Bellator lightweight champion made his debut with Real American Freestyle earlier this month. He defeated Chad Mendes at the promotion’s fifth event.
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan recently called out Chandler for a wrestling match. Chandler told Helwani he watched Tsarukyan wrestle live at Real American Freestyle and was impressed.
“I think I am interested,” Chandler said about potentially facing Tsarukyan in a grappling bout. “My plan A, the one thing I’m focused on, is fighting at the White House.”
Chandler acknowledged his wrestling future is uncertain but said he’s open to facing Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan may instead face Dustin Poirier in a wrestling match under the Hype FC banner, according to reports from the promotion’s CEO.
Poirier defeated Chandler by submission at UFC 281 in November 2022 at Madison Square Garden. White said he plans to announce fights for the White House card in mid-February.
Chandler maintains he can only control what he can control and will keep training until official announcements are made about McGregor’s next fight.
