Henry Cejudo praises Michael Chandler for being patient and waiting for Conor McGregor fight

By Cole Shelton - January 2, 2024

Henry Cejudo has praised Michael Chandler for sticking to his guns and waiting for Conor McGregor.

Henry Cejudo and Michael Chandler

After McGregor broke his leg in the trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier, immediately many wondered who would be his return fight. From the get-go, Chandler had been vocal in saying he would be the Irishman’s return opponent, which led to the two coaching TUF 31 last year.

Despite the two coaching TUF, no fight was booked and rumors began to swirl that Conor McGregor would be fighting some other than Michael Chandler in his return. But, on New Year’s Eve, the Irishman took to X to confirm that he would return on June 29 to face Chandler at 185lbs.

“Ladies and gentlemen, a Happy New Year to you all. I’d like to announce the return date for myself, the Notorious Conor McGregor, for the greatest comeback of all time will take place in Las Vegas for International Fight Week on June 29. The opponent, Michael Chandler. And the weight, Mr. Chandler? 185 pounds (laughs),” McGregor said in his video.

Now, following Conor McGregor’s announcement, speaking on his YouTube channel, Henry Cejudo praised Michael Chandler for waiting and not getting antsy and accepting another fight.

“Conor McGregor is going to be headlinign UFC International Fight Week which is going to be crazy. But, the question is, he’s doing it at 185 pounds and a lot of that stuff makes sense. Conor has gotten big, and for that weight class, Conor is short. But guess what? So is Michael Chandler. They’re both two short, stocky dudes that are going to be firing at 185 pounds,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel.

“I mean,  Michael Chandler did a really good job of just waiting, of just waiting, because you know why? Conor McGregor is a cash cow. I mean, I would wait almost two years to fight Conor. When you fight Conor you are guaranteed pay-per-view points, which I don’t know if the UFC is going to give it to him, but they might? That’s a whole lot of money, those are a whole lot of M’s (millions) that are coming your way, Michael Chandler because you decided to wait,” Henry Cejudo added.

If Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler does get finalized, as Henry Cejudo says, ‘Iron’ made the right call in waiting. It will be a massive fight, which will also result in a bigger payday for Chandler. As well, if Chandler can beat McGregor, regardless if it is at middleweight, it will put him in a great position at lightweight.