Michael Chandler has officially closed the book on the Conor McGregor saga—a two-year rollercoaster that promised a blockbuster showdown but never quite delivered. After coaching opposite McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter Season 31 and waiting through a scrapped UFC 303 headliner in June 2024, Chandler’s done holding out hope. Fresh off a grueling five-round war with Charles Oliveira in November, he’s now gearing up to face Paddy Pimblett in the UFC 314 co-main event this April. As for McGregor? Chandler’s got doubts the Irish icon will ever step back into the Octagon.

It feels like ages since Chandler signed on to coach TUF 31 with McGregor, hyping what was supposed to be a lightweight clash for the ages. Nine months have passed since their International Fight Week booking fell apart, and McGregor’s still MIA—no fight scheduled, no concrete updates. After breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, McGregor’s been more focused on his BKFC ownership gig and pushing his beer brand than plotting a return. That’s left plenty of fans—and Chandler—wondering if the former champ-champ’s fighting days are done.

“In my heart of hearts, yes [he comes back],” Chandler told MMA Fighting when asked about McGregor’s future. “Because I think he wants to fight. He doesn’t want to finish his fighting legacy the way he has done it. His last fight was breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier and then touting the greatest comeback in combat sports history and then doing The Ultimate Fighter and then signing to fight me and then pulling out with another injury. That’s my heart of hearts.

“Now my mind, if you’re a betting man does Conor come back? No. I’d give it a slim chance.”

Shiny Objects and Shifting Focus

McGregor’s hiatus has Chandler reflecting on what’s keeping the “Notorious” one sidelined. Turning 37 in July, McGregor’s sitting on a fortune that means he doesn’t have to fight again. Between bare-knuckle ventures and business deals, Chandler sees a guy distracted by the glitz. “I think he’s just so intertwined in the shiny objects all around him that he can’t help himself but to go reach at a shiny object,” Chandler said. “With all due respect, you may be the same way, I may be the same way if we had those opportunities. That’s why I’ve never been overly critical of the man because unless you’ve walked a mile in his shoes, do you have the right to criticize him?

“That’s how I am with most of the guys I fight or everybody in the industry. I’m not living the same exact life as these guys. In my heart of hearts, I think he does come back eventually but if I was a betting man, it’s a slim chance. I ain’t betting money on that horse.”

Naturally, Chandler’s taken heat for waiting two years on a fight that never materialized. Haters say he wasted his prime chasing a ghost, but he’s not buying the regret narrative. The UFC gave him every assurance the McGregor bout was locked in—contracts were signed, TUF was filmed—and Chandler trusted the process. When it became clear McGregor wasn’t coming back anytime soon, he pivoted. “There’s still no regret for how the whole Conor thing played out,” Chandler said. “I had all the reassurances behind the scenes that yeah, the fight might get pushed back a little bit further but I’d still signed a contract, did The Ultimate Fighter — we still need to finish The Ultimate Fighter 31. If Conor comes back, he signed his name on the dotted line that he will finish The Ultimate Fighter 31.

“Will I wait for it? No, I’m moving on and I am fighting and I’m getting after it, I’m going to stay active. You’ve got to remind people sometimes, I signed with the UFC, and within a matter of 28 months, I fought five times. Fought for the world title, fought Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, another candidate for Fight of the Year, I was very active. I was the type of guy who fought in the Bellator tournament, fought six fights in 13 months. I’ve been extremely active my entire career.”

That Oliveira loss stung—a potential title shot slipped through his fingers—but Chandler didn’t dwell. He healed up, got back in the gym, and said yes to Pimblett for April. “Obviously I take a lot of flack for it, people make fun of me for waiting for Conor and doing that stuff,” Chandler said. “I signed a contract saying I’m going to do The Ultimate Fighter and I’m going to fight Conor McGregor so I wanted to wait it out, figure it out and we got the fight booked and obviously he pulled out. I think that fight happens somewhere down the line if he ever does come back but I wanted to get right back on the horse.

“As soon as I was healthy, as soon as I was able to train again, I said yes to this fight. Now we’re going to get back in the win column and April puts me in a good spot with eight more months left in the year whether it be sometime this summer, whether it be sometime this summer and the fall, fight three times this year. It’s the ‘what have you done lately for me business’ and it’s time to get back in the win column and do something spectacular April 12 in Miami.”

If McGregor ever does lace ‘em up again, Chandler’s ready to revisit that unfinished business in a heartbeat. But he’s not banking on it. “I’ve bet money on the wrong horse for a little while, now I’m betting on myself, continuing to bet on myself,” Chandler said. “Took the opportunity against Charles Oliveira, fell short. Now I’m betting on myself again to go out there and fight Paddy Pimblett in April and stay active this year.

“If [Conor] ever does come back, his road back to the UFC goes straight through Nashville, Tenn. and Michael Chandler.”