Midnight Mania! Chandler reacts to Mac’s ‘likely’ fight

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Prioritizing action above all else seems to be paying off for Michael Chandler.

The former Bellator champ moved to the Octagon at the end of his professional career, but he’s been on the floor since then. As a result, he picked up two huge knockout wins, but Chandler also lost three fights. Those losses have largely taken him out of the lightweight title picture, but as Dustin Poirier’s decision making last year demonstrated, a fight with Conor McGregor is more valuable than a UFC title.

Recent news reveals that Chandler is the next “likely” enemy of McGregor’s return. He’s been fishing for the fight for some time, and while it’s yet to be fully confirmed, Chandler shared his reaction to the news with MMA Junkie, as well as his overall approach to securing a fight with the biggest star in the sport.

“Obviously Dana is okay with that, I think the UFC is okay with that — I definitely think Conor is okay with that,” Chandler said. “We have seen our interactions in the past. You’re not going to see me here bashing him, swearing at him, tweeting him and all that. Its not my style. I’ve always been respectful of Conor. I’ve always said the sport of mixed martial arts is better when Conor is in it, so let me be the other guy on the other side of the octagon.

Another relatively recent wrinkle to McGregor’s comeback fight is the news that he pulled out of the USADA test squad as he recovered from his broken leg. Bulging muscles and bizarre comments from McGregor himself have fueled wild speculation about what exactly the Irish star has been putting in his body in recent months, but Chandler remains unconcerned. He trusts the USADA process and is happy to weigh in at 170 pounds to meet McGregor at Welterweight.

“Let’s be honest: I’ve fought outside of the UFC for most of my career,” Chandler said. “I’ve never been concerned about whether a guy was consuming anything. I will say it’s flat out wrong that USADA – are people going to scrutinize things and look at things through a microscope and comb through with a fine-toothed comb and say, ‘USADA could do better, USADA could do better’ – Absolutely. But overall, we can be tested anytime, anywhere. where, anywhere. Our whereabouts are on our phones at all times. Is this a perfect system? No. Will it ever be perfect? ​​Absolutely not. Should I have any concerns whatsoever, absolutely not.

“Then the guy comes back and he spends six months in the USADA testing group and gets tested six times, 12 times, five times, twice – it doesn’t matter. He’s been in the pool for that amount of time, six months is six months. It’s long. So I have no worries. I’m not that worried about it, honestly. I wished Conor a speedy recovery from the start. It’s not like he sprained his ankle. It’s not like he broke his hand, it’s not like he broke his nose. The guy broke his leg. I therefore hope that he is well, that he recovers well. He looks tall and tanned and muscular and I would love to fight him at 170. Let’s do it.

Insomnia

Apparently, the war between Kevin Holland and Stephen Thompson resulted in broken hands for both men, not just “Trailblazer.”

No, I didn’t understand the rules, but I like that the referee seems like just a dude in an Adidas tracksuit.

One of those matches that’s pretty much guaranteed to be a back-and-forth slugfest.

Al Iaquinta with a very believable story about The Liver King.

Curtis Blaydes is not happy with the updated UFC rankings.

Matt Brown with a cool article about training in Cuba:

Prediction: Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria are going to chew on each other for years without really fighting.

Slips, tears and KO clips

SLAMMING OUT OF BACK MOUNT FINALLY WORKED!

This man has literally never tried to fight hands, it’s crazy.

Sweet spread and counter fight by UFC veteran Kai Kamaka!

Random terrain

This cat is up for adventure.

Midnight Music: Blues, 1957

Sleep well fools! More martial arts madness is always on the way.