May 9, 2022
It’s time for UFC fighters to stop calling out Conor McGregor
UFC 274 was this past weekend, and it was a rollercoaster of a card.
You had a couple of decisions to start the main card off. First, it was Randy Brown defeating Khaos Williams via split decision, and then it was Ovince Saint Preux defeating Shogun Rua via split decision. Both fights were decent. Very technical, but obviously not as exciting when there’s not a finish. Then you had the two title fights. Carla Esparza vs Rose Namajunas could have put an insomniac to sleep. Then Justin Gaethje vs Charles Oliveira was in the main event and it was full of excitement.
The fight that was in the middle of the card was Michael Chandler vs Tony Ferguson. Chandler had one of the best knockouts in the history of the UFC. And it was against a guy in Tony Ferguson that doesn’t get knocked out.
After the fight, Michael Chandler cut a WWE-styled promo and he called out the winner of the main event for the lightweight title (Charles Oliveira defeated Justin Gaethje via rear-naked choke in the main event). That should’ve been enough, right?
Nope.
Michael Chandler then switched up his promo and went after Conor McGregor. So the question is — why?
I mean the obvious answer is because most people see McGregor as an easy payday. He still might have a little shine left for pay-per-view sales, thus giving Michael Chandler a nice paycheck.
But what credibility does it give him as a fighter? None at this point. Beating Conor McGregor at this stage in his life and career is not going to be the boost you think it would be.
McGregor has only one win since 2018. And it’s against Cowboy Cerrone, who has been washed for a long time. McGregor is coming off of a major injury and he is constantly in the news for legal issues and arrests. It’s truly more of a sad state of affairs.
Michael Chandler doesn’t need to hype himself up any longer. He’s been one of the few guys that came from Bellator that has worked out very well for the UFC. He’s 2–2 in the UFC, but even in his losses, his stock doesn’t seem to get lowered very much. His fights have been must-see.
Chandler has a great story and has awesome mic skills. Something that is super beneficial in the fight game. But there are times when people try too hard. The callout of McGregor felt that way.
Even McGregor himself has become a parody of the guy he used to be — someone who could talk the best of trash and come up with one-liners at the drop of a hat. Now, McGregor feels like he’s just trying to be the guy he was when he was on top. Once again, it’s just a sad state of affairs.
Conor McGregor is currently ranked 9th in the official lightweight rankings of the UFC. Chandler should try to either get the rematch with Oliveira for the championship or try to get Dustin Poirier, who is currently ranked number one in the official rankings.
Chandler isn’t the only guy calling out McGregor. Current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski called out McGregor in March. McGregor hasn’t fought in the featherweight division since he knocked out José Aldo to win the featherweight championship. That was in 2015. So why call him out?
Tony Ferguson also called out McGregor late last year. Jake Paul never shuts up about McGregor either. It all just comes out as desperate. And all of this for a guy who’s won once in 4 years.
While it wasn’t as public and loud, Charles Oliveira called out McGregor to face him for the lightweight title. I know sometimes fights don’t make sense, but there has to be a line drawn eventually, right?
McGregor’s lack of winning and his out-of-the-ring antics have made him harder for fans to root for him. So who’s to say that a card headlined by McGregor and Chandler would even do the numbers it used to? It more than likely wouldn’t.
I for one would love for Conor McGregor to somehow find that magic again. The UFC was just more exciting when he was at the top of his game. But I just highly doubt he can get to that point. Most fighters have him figured out. All you have to do is grapple and wrestle with him, and it eliminates any threat that Conor might still have left.
But at the end of the day, UFC President Dana White likes the idea of Chandler vs McGregor. If Chandler wins, it does nothing but introduces him to a few extra people. If McGregor wins, he shoots to the top of the rankings. It’s not a great situation for a guy like Chandler, yet he and so many others keep calling Conor out — depite that he’s been recovering from a broken left tibia. It’s time to just move on already.
