Michael Chandler surprisingly defends Conor McGregor after disastrous UFC 329 return

Michael Chandler took a surprising stance on Conor McGregor’s disastrous return to the Octagon at UFC 329 last weekend.

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor’s comeback fight lasted mere seconds after suffering a knee injury against Max Holloway at UFC 329. In his first fight in five years, McGregor suffered a right knee injury after opening up the fight with an attempted spinning wheel kick.

McGregor will undergo surgery on the unspecified injury and is expected to miss at least a year to recover. It was a disastrous and abrupt end to McGregor’s comeback after his long road back to the Octagon.

Before McGregor squared off with Holloway, he was supposed to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303. Just weeks before the event, McGregor withdrew from the bout due to a toe injury that further postponed his attempted comeback.

After watching McGregor’s comeback at UFC 329, Chandler scolded skeptics of McGregor who feel the UFC legend ‘quit’ against Holloway.

Michael Chandler defends Conor McGregor after ‘quitter’ labels following UFC 329

In a recent Instagram story, Chandler reacted to McGregor’s disastrous return.

“I would be absolutely surprised, the most surprised person on the planet, if Conor just showed up for a paycheck. Limped in there, and said ‘I don’t care’, giving you guys one minute, shave his head into a mohawk, do the intros, and just bow out one minute later. One thing he is not is a quitter. He isn’t a bamboozler,” Chandler said of McGregor.

“The body is unpredictable, and every fight is unpredictable. If you look at Conor, because I’ve had a lot of people say why would he do that? He came out like an ‘idiot’ and jumped across the cage. Conor always does that. I’m just as disappointed as you guys, because T-Mobile Arena was absolutely electric…and you’re talking about the guy that’s supposed to be disappointed. But he finally made the walk, showed up, and I believe he wants to fight me. I believe he tried to fight me, and I believe that’s how the negotiations went. But other plans were made,” Chandler continued. “And the honor and integrity to stick to it and be a man of his word since he pulled out of that fight in 2024, I think he actually wanted to be a man of his word and see through to putting his name on that dotted line that had my name on it.

“But I know everybody is disappointed, but keep on watching. This ain’t the last you’re going to see of Conor, and I’m excited to see how it all plays out.”

While Chandler remains optimistic about fighting McGregor, his recent struggles in the Octagon make a potential bout highly unlikely. Chandler most recently lost to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250 and hasn’t won a fight since UFC 274.

Do you think Conor McGregor will fight in the UFC again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!