Outside Source
Chandler scored a shutout win in a wrestling match against UFC veteran Chad Mendes in the main event at Real American Freestyle 3 on Saturday. While Chandler has been calling out only Conor McGregor for the past few years, “Iron” flipped the script by calling out wrestling legend Jordan Burroughs at RAF 3.
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Chandler has since explained why he didn’t call out McGregor. Chandler says that he has called out McGregor enough to at least avoid repeating the same at a wrestling event. Despite having waited for the matchup for nearly three years, Chandler is still confident that the fight will happen in 2026. Chandler hints that all negotiations have been finalized and McGregor only needs to put pen to paper. Chandler even claims that McGregor has invited sparring partners to emulate his style.
‘He’s Gonna Make Good on His Promise’
“Seeing a lot of you guys asking me why I didn’t call out Conor last night. There’s a simple reason why I didn’t call out Conor,” Chandler said on Instagram. “Yeah, I had a microphone in my hand and yeah, I was pumped up, I was sweating, the juices were flowing, the veins were pumping. Of course I’m not gonna call out Conor at a wrestling match. I have done it enough, the fight’s already happening. You know I want to fight him, you know he wants to fight me. He’s brought in guys to his training camp to mimic my style. So that fight’s already been called out, been signed, sealed and delivered since June of 2024. He’s gonna make good on his promise, on his words, on the ink on the contract in June of 2026.”
McGregor (22-6) hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021. Chandler (23-10) has been eyeing a matchup against McGregor since the Irishman recovered in 2022. They even starred as rival coaches on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” with a fight between the two expected at the end of the season. After multiple delays, McGregor and Chandler were finally booked for UFC 303 last year. However, “Notorious” pulled out of the fight due to a toe injury.
McGregor’s personal life has also been tumultuous, as he was found guilty of rape in a civil lawsuit dating back to an incident in 2018. The Irishman was also recently sued for sexual battery against a woman at an NBA Finals game in 2023. However, McGregor continues to tease a return, most recently targeting the White House card planned for 2026. However, McGregor is currently serving an 18-month ban due to an anti-doping violation for failing to submit three drug tests. The former UFC double champ will be cleared to fight in March 2026.
Meanwhile, Chandler returned to competition after two years in 2024, suffering a decision loss against Charles Oliveira. The former Bellator MMA champ has since suffered a stoppage loss against Paddy Pimblett earlier this year.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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