Michael Chandler's new fight with Charles Oliveira is being called 'strange' as he seems to put the Conor McGregor debacle behind him

Now, Chandler has signed a contract to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, the same venue where he last made his appearance in November 2022. However, his former opponent isn't entirely sure if rematching their 2021 title fight makes much sense at this point.

Michael Chandler signs up for Charles Oliveira rematch after Conor McGregor fight falls through

After two years of waiting, Michael Chandler seems to have decided to take his career back into his own hands and has signed up for a big rematch at Madison Square Garden. He faced Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in 2021 and seemed on his way to victory before he was stopped.

Since then, he has lost to Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier and brutally knocked out Tony Ferguson in a mediocre run. The American, who is approaching the end of his 30s, likely sees this as his last shot at UFC gold after winning the belt in his previous promotion.

The news was announced last week, much to the surprise of fans who had been expecting an announcement soon about the McGregor fight. It was scheduled for UFC 303 in June, but the Irishman was forced to withdraw due to a broken toe.

Dan Hooker calls Chandler vs. Oliveira fight ‘weird’ as he eyes his next move

After placing himself in the top five of the lightweight division with his stunning victory over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305, there were rumors that Dan Hooker could get the fight against Oliveira. However, it came as a shock to many when it was announced that the former champion would instead face Chandler in a rematch at UFC 309.

“It is what it is,” Hooker told Submission Radio when asked about the announcement. “I understand why they organized this fight. This is a big fight for the division, but I don't know, it's a weird fight… I tried to justify the fight, but no, it's just a weird fight.”

“Yeah, maybe that's because I'm up to something too, brother. Maybe I'm up to something, but if I don't say anything, it must be good. I understand why Chandler wants the fight.

“If he beats Oliveira, the UFC has obviously promised him a title shot, but I don't know much about what Charles will get out of it. I can't imagine the fight being great. At our level, which is in the top five or six in the division, all of these fights are pure luck.”

Michael Chandler claims he could still face Conor McGregor after UFC 309

While it looks like a win over Oliveira will give him a fight against champion Islam Makhachev, there is still a chance that Chandler could end up going back to Conor McGregor. The Irishman is the most famous figure in the sport and would win a huge amount of prize money.

And speaking at the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight in London yesterday, McGregor hinted that he would still be interested in a fight against Chandler even after the Oliveira fight, claiming he wants two fights next year before entering one of the most anticipated free agency periods in history.

And Chandler is still open to the idea, telling reporters last week at UFC 306: “I've always shown a ton of respect to my opponents. There's a difference between booking a fight with Conor McGregor and booking a fight with anyone in the entire sport.

“There are different dates and places where you can put Conor McGregor in. It's different and there are many levels. I love fighting Conor and I will fight Conor in 2025. But now we're going to go out and fight Charles and beat him.”

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