Michael Chandler vs. Colby Covington? “Never say never.”
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] welcomes a fight with UFC welterweight contender [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag].
Former three-time UFC welterweight title challenger Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) returns against Joaquin Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 63 main event (ESPN2, ESPN+) at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) is rooting for Buckley to shut Covington’s lights off.
“I’d love to see Colby Covington get his block knocked off by Joaquin Buckley this weekend,” Chandler told Lucky Block. “I mean, what an interesting decision. You sit out for all those years, lose a title fight and all of a sudden you come back kind of on short notice against Joaquin Buckley.
“Colby’s not the smartest guy, he’s not the brightest bulb and we’ll see it on Saturday night. I think Joaquin Buckley goes out there, and I think he finishes Colby. I do. I think Colby just doesn’t have it anymore. I don’t really know if Colby ever really had it, to be honest with you, but we’ll see how it plays out. But, I think Joaquin goes out there and gets his hand raised.”
Chandler is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 last month. It was a tough pill to swallow for Chandler, who still has hopes of rebooking his fight against Conor McGregor. But if not McGregor, Chandler likes his chances against former interim welterweight champion Covington.
“Never say never when it comes to a fight with Colby,” Chandler said. “I’ve made it very clear. I don’t like making 155 (pounds), I love fights at 170 and to me, Colby is a 155’er who doesn’t want to cut much weight. He isn’t a big guy, and I bet him and I weigh within a couple of pounds of each other when we are at our heaviest.”
Michael Chandler refutes claims that he struck Charles Oliveira with illegal blows at UFC 309.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] refutes claims that he struck [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] with illegal blows at UFC 309.
Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) managed to fend off Chandler’s (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) late rally to win a unanimous decision in their rematch less than two weeks ago at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Chandler dropped Oliveira late in the fight, and landed an array of shots which many – including the commentators deemed as illegal shots to the back of the head. Oliveira took issue with the blows, but Chandler insists that the shots landed to the side of the ear.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t do anything wrong, OK? I’m not going to say that people couldn’t look at it and splice it and look at it under a fine-tooth comb and a magnifying glass,” Chandler said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “But the unified rules of mixed martial arts say that there is a line drawn from the crown of the head down to the neck, one-inch variance on either side.
“So you’re talking about a two-inch area on the back of someone’s head that is considered the back of the head. If you watch 90 percent of the shots, at least, most of them, almost all of them, my fist was catching the ear. If you’re catching the ear, that’s not the back of the head. Actually, what you and I would call the back of the head is not the actual definition of what it is. That two-inch strip down the back of the head.”
Referee Keith Peterson did not give official warnings to Chandler for any wrongdoing during the fight, and never warned Chandler about any of his strikes in that sequence.
“A referee who was within two feet away never said one thing about it,” Chandler said. “Then you’ve got commentators who were 35-feet away saying it’s the back of the head and you’ve got other people saying it was back of the head.”
Michael Chandler still thinks he’s superior to Charles Oliveira, despite the results between them showing otherwise.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] still thinks he’s superior to [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag], despite the results between them showing otherwise.
After Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) suffered a second-round TKO loss to Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a vacant lightweight title bout at UFC 262 in May 2021, the pair had a rematch this month at UFC 309 in New York. It was “Do Bronx” who prevailed again, earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory over the former three-time Bellator titleholder.
The fight marked Chandler’s return to competition following a two-year layoff where he waited for a fight with Conor McGregor that never materialized. His welcome back to the octagon was a rude one, because he said that he sustained leg damage in the opening round that contributed to his bad night.
Despite all that, Chandler boldly declared that he thinks he beats Oliveira far more often than not.
“I am not happy with my performance,” Chandler told “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Monday. “I would give myself a two out of 10. I cannot overstate how horrible of a performance this was, or set of circumstances it was after that first round, compared to what my vision was. What I am capable of. I believe I beat Charles Oliveira nine times out of 10. Obviously, I’ve lost to him twice now. Two out of two. I have a 100 percent loss rate to Charles Oliveira. So I understand why people might ‘tssk’ at that, roll their eyes at that. But I just am so unhappy with the performance.”
Although Chandler has lost four out of his six UFC appearances, he still has reason to be optimistic about the future. He said he thinks the fight with McGregor will materialize in 2025, but even if it doesn’t, he’s still highly regarded in the eyes of UFC CEO Dana White, who likened him to Arturo Gatti in the aftermath of UFC 309.
“I am so excited to get healthy and I am so excited to give the fans and my supporters and everyone else out there, the performance that they deserve,” Chandler said. “And my coaches. Henri Hooft and Robbie Lawler and these guys, they pour their lives into me. It just was not the performance that I wanted.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
Days after a rematch against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, Michael Chandler is dealing with some crazy pitting swelling on his leg.
So, you want to be a UFC fighter?
As [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] found out after his rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, that includes signing up for some insane post-fight effects on the body.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) went 25 minutes against Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night rematch of their first meeting at UFC 262. “Do Bronx” hit Chandler with everything in his arsenal, but couldn’t finish the fight this time around.
Despite the loss, Chandler took pride in entertaining the fans with a furious near-comeback in the final round, but later revealed it was the most pain he’s ever experienced.
For the time being, Chandler is on the road to recovery from the hellacious battle. A part of his post-fight ailments is pitting edema swelling on his leg, which also has a few bruises and scrapes.
Michael Chandler has some insane swelling going on after his rematch with Charles Oliveira at #UFC309. 😳
In a video posted to his Instagram Stories, Chandler pressed his fingers into his leg and showed off the deep indention that remained.
According to Osmosis, pitting edema results from excess fluid build-up, and can be resolved on its own in mild cases. Elevating the affected limb helps with recovery.
In another video posted to Instagram, Chandler relayed a health update, in which he stated he has been actively recovering from his rematch with Oliveira by utilizing multiple methods including a hyperbaric chamber, a red light bed and cold plunges. “Iron” is also awaiting results of MRIs, but said he’s not slowing down as he looks ahead to 2025.
John McCarthy does not see things boding well for Michael Chandler moving forward.
[autotag]John McCarthy[/autotag] does not see things boding well for [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] moving forward.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) rallied late, but was dominated for the most part in his rematch with Charles Oliveira less than two weeks ago at UFC 309. Chandler has now lost four of his past five, with the lone win in that stretch coming in a knockout over the skidding Tony Ferguson at UFC 274.
In fact, McCarthy thinks Chandler’s career will likely start resembling the one of Ferguson (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC), who after winning 12-straight fights, has now lost eight in a row.
“Michael Chandler has hit Tony Ferguson status – just being honest … absolutely,” McCarthy said on his “Weighing-In” podcast. “Who’s he going to beat? He looked slow. You cannot look slow in the lightweight division. You’re going to die, and he got outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy.”
Chandler’s performance potentially was impacted by a layoff of more than two years he opted to take waiting for Conor McGregor. After he lost to Oliveira, Chandler called out McGregor, but McCarthy isn’t sure where he goes next.
“Dustin doesn’t want to fight him again because of the same things that he f*cking ended up doing in the Oliveira fight,” McCarthy said. “Now I always sit there and say, ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,’ but don’t sit there and f*cking tell me that he didn’t hit him to the back of the head.
“I don’t give a f*ck if your fist is going on the other side of his ear, when your forearm is hitting him to the back of the head, it’s the f*cking back of the head. … I’m not saying he’s got seven losses in a row (like Ferguson) – I’m saying he’s on the same path as Tony Ferguson.”
Michael Chandler spoke to Donald Trump after his UFC 309 loss. What did Trump tell him?
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] had quite the audience watching him cage side for his UFC return.
This past Saturday, [autotag]Donald Trump[/autotag], soon to serve a second term as president of the U.S., was front row, watching the main card action of UFC 309 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) competed in the co-main event in a highly anticipated rematch against Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC). Unfortunately for Chandler, he lost a unanimous decision, but that didn’t stop him from approaching Trump when the fight ended.
“I shook his hand, and he said, ‘Awesome fight. You’re a warrior,'” Chandler recalled, speaking on Bussin with the Boys. “He whispered in my ear – and there’s a really cool shot of him whispering in my ear – and he was just like, ‘You’re one bad mofo,’ type of deal. It was pretty cool, and I was like, ‘Well, you are (a bad mofo). Thank you for saving our country.'”
Chandler’s return at UFC 309 marked his first fight since November 2022. He sat on the sidelines waiting for a Conor McGregor fight that did not materialize, which prompted a pivot to the Oliveira rematch.
With the loss, Chandler is 1-4 in his most recent five. He hopes for his next fight to be against McGregor in 2025.
He would rather take on a fresh opponent, but if his next fight is a rematch, it won’t be against Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC).
“I’m more interested in a rematch with (Charles) Oliveira or (Dustin) Poirier,” Gaethje told Helen Yee. “I prefer something new. I think me and Poirier would be a great fight if it is his last one. I just think that we’re both contenders, and I don’t think we’re contenders if (Chandler and I) fight each other.
“I’m content with a 1-1. Hopefully he is. I think Dan Hooker, I don’t know if (Alexander) Volkanovski is coming (back to lightweight). I know (Max) Holloway is coming (to 155), or maybe he comes back up. I would love that rematch. But being No. 3, there’s a lot of options. I told them I want to fight in March. So March, I think it’s in Vegas. I’ll be there.”
“Man, Oliveira is a problem,” Gaethje said. “The guy is tough. He’s good. He’s come into himself, I guess. He’s been there since he was a kid, same with Max Holloway. All these guys came in and started fighting the best of the best at such a young age, and to see them come along and go through the rough road, and then come out on top has been impressive to watch, and it was an impressive fight.”
Michael Chandler has been in numerous wars throughout his career, but none more damaging than UFC 309.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has been in numerous wars throughout his career, but none more damaging than UFC 309.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) rallied late, but lost a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in their rematch this past Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The contest predominantly took place on the ground, but Chandler revealed that he suffered an array of injuries stemming from the fight.
“I had a phenomenal training camp, we went to war, we did our thing,” Chandler said on Bussin’ with the Boys. “My body, the most pain I’ve ever been in my entire life. The most injuries I’ve ever had in a fight, for sure. Peed blood, inflammation all over, my whole body is swollen.
“The first one was very light, which was in my drug test. New York drug tested me before the fight and then after the fight. I tested positive for blood (laughs). It had a light tint and the second one was beet-looking juice. It was dark. My whole body hurt.”
Chandler says he hurt his leg very early on in his five-round battle with Oliveira, and will get some scans done to check the extent of the injury.
“I think something happened to the knee in that first exchange where he had the leg, and I did like a full 360, and he did a kneebar thing,” Chandler said. “I walked back to the stool and I looked down at my left leg and it was not working right. It wasn’t stepping. It wasn’t catching. It was unstable. It was weird. … Essentially, for about 23 minutes of that fight, I don’t know if the leg was really working that well.”
Michael Chandler still believes he’s the right opponent for Conor McGregor’s UFC return.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] is not ready to turn the page on a potential fight with UFC star [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] despite everything that’s transpired.
Chandler, a former Bellator lightweight champion, returned to the octagon last Saturday at UFC 309. There, he lost a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira after putting his career on hold for well over a year and waiting for a fight with McGregor to materialize.
Now back in action, the 38-year-old wants to revisit the McGregor fight for the summer of 2025.
“I think me and Conor International Fight Week is the next fight,” Chandler said on Bussin’ with the Boys. “That’s what I’m throwing out there. I think June, July.”
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) coached The Ultimate Fighter 31 against McGregor. The two were supposed to fight this past July at UFC 303, but McGregor withdrew from the matchup due to injury.
Chandler believes the Irishman will return to the cage, and he’s extremely confident the fight to make is against him.
“I’m not saying it’s a real reality, but I am saying if he does, his road comes straight through Nashville, Tennessee,” Chandler explained. “His road back to the UFC, we have to finish The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC wants us to finish The Ultimate Fighter, Conor wants to fight me, and he can fight anybody. He made a commitment.
“I’ve said this numerous times: I have no problem giving my opponents props. I think he is more sentimental and romantic about the sport than people give him credit for because he’s become this big, infamous brand. But he knows he’s nothing without the UFC octagon. He knows he’s nothing without the UFC. He was a plumber on welfare, sleeping on a couch. Without the UFC, he’s nothing. I don’t say that to take that away from him. We need our employers and brands to take us to the next level to create our lives.”
On top of thinking he makes the most sense for McGregor, Chandler also believes McGregor misses the octagon, and doesn’t buy that he will make his hiatus from the sport permanent.
“I think he wants to see through to his commitment,” Chandler said. “Quite frankly, he needs to come back. He needs something to chase, or else he’s going to chase the wrong things. And if he does, it just so happens that there’s a guy waiting, and I’m one of the top draws in the UFC. People will pay good money to watch me fight.”
From one week to three months, check out the full list of medical suspensions handed out following UFC 309 in New York.
Every fighter who competed this past Saturday at UFC 309 has been given a medical suspension following their bouts.
Jhonata Diniz, Mickey Gall and Bassil Hafez were knocked out in their fights and were among four fighters who received 90-day suspensions, which was the longest period issued. The fourth fighter who received 90 days was James Llontop, who went the distance with Mauricio Ruffy, but was on the receiving end of multiple damaging strikes over three rounds.
The event, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, was headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic. Although he announced his retirement following the main event, Miocic was given a 60-day suspension for his TKO loss to Jones.
Wednesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of medical suspensions from the New York State Department of State, which oversaw the event. Check out the full list below. The suspensions ranged from a 7-day mandatory rest period to 90 days. Any fighter given 30-90 days may return sooner if cleared by a doctor (unless noted otherwise).
Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Veronica Hardy (red gloves) fights Eduarda Moura (blue gloves) in the flyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Eduarda Moura[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Bassil Hafez (red gloves) fights Oban Elliott (blue gloves) in the welterweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: 90-day suspension with neurology clearance
Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall
Ramiz Brahimaj def Mickey Gall UFC 309
[autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: 90-day suspension with neurology clearance
Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jhonata Diniz (blue gloves) reacts after losing to Marcin Tybura (red gloves, not pictured) in the Heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; David Onama (red gloves) fights Roberto Romero (blue gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jonathan Martinez (red gloves) fights Marcus Mcghee (blue gloves) in the bantamweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop
Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Mauricio Ruffy (red gloves) fights James Llontop (blue gloves) in the catchweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Viviane Araujo (red gloves) fights Karine Silva (blue gloves) in the WomenÕs Flyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: (R-L) Bo Nickal of the United States of America punches Paul Craig of Scotland in a middleweight fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: 30-day suspension
Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Charles Oliveira (red gloves) fights Michael Chandler (blue gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones (R) fights challenger Stipe Miocic during their heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
