“Iron” Mike knows “Notorious.”
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) two-division champion Conor McGregor finally returned to competition this past weekend (Sat., July 11, 2026) against Max Holloway at UFC 329, but unfortunately, his highly anticipated comeback lasted just 69 seconds as he injured his knee inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch it).
Since then, plenty of fighters, fans, and analysts have weighed in on what happened, what went wrong, and what could be next for McGregor.
And now, one of the men who spent years waiting to fight him has offered his thoughts.
Former UFC Lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler, who was scheduled to fight McGregor in 2024 before the Irish superstar withdrew with a broken toe, does not believe “The Notorious” showed up just to collect a paycheck.
“A lot of speculation is going on out there,” Chandler said today in an Instagram video. “A lot of people disappointed about how the fight went. A lot of conspiracy theories going on out there. I understand people are upset. I understand people are let down by this massive return that everybody wanted to see, the massive return that everybody wanted to be entertained by.
“We’re missing the fact that we are just in a crazy sport in which we are pushing our bodies to the limits,” Chandler continued, “a lot of times contorting them and taking massive amounts of force at any given moment.”
Chandler then broke down how quickly things appeared to fall apart for McGregor.
“A guy like Conor, who comes out in the first three seconds, jumps across the cage, turns his body, throws a kick, lands weird, leg buckles, then throws another kick, leg buckles, throws a punch, leg buckles,” Chandler said. “And everybody’s trying to figure out, ‘Hey, was Conor injured prior to the fight? Did Conor just show up and hoodwink everybody, and he just showed up for a paycheck and doesn’t care who he hurts in the process?’”
For Chandler, that theory does not add up.
“I would be absolutely surprised, like the most surprised person on the planet, if Conor just showed up for a paycheck, limped in there, and said, ‘I don’t care. I’m going to give you guys one minute, shave my head into a mohawk, show up, do the intros, and then just bow out one minute later,’” Chandler said.
Chandler knows the frustration better than most.
He coached opposite McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter and was supposed to finally fight him during International Fight Week in 2024. However, McGregor withdrew just weeks before fight night, leaving Chandler without the red-panty night he had been chasing for two years.
Still, even after losing out on that massive fight, Chandler does not believe McGregor has quit in him.
“You can say what you want about Conor,” Chandler said. “Conor’s mistakes are well documented. Conor’s shortcomings are well documented over the past 15 years in this sport, but one thing he is not, he’s not a quitter.
“One thing he is not is a bamboozler,” Chandler continued. “He’s going to make you look left when really he’s doing something on the right here and there to build fights and to build storylines and to make you think and make you feel something, but he’s not the type of guy who will show up to a fight injured and bow out within one minute.”
Chandler also pushed back against the idea that UFC would knowingly help stage some kind of short-lived return just to boost interest.
“The UFC is not the type of organization that’s going to have conversations behind closed doors and say, ‘Hey, it’s all good, man. We’re going to get everybody hooked in on this Paramount stream, and then you’re going to bounce out one minute in,’” Chandler said. “That’s just not what they do. It’s not how business works, but I understand the speculation, and I understand the conspiracy theories, and I understand that everybody’s drawing at straws right now.”
And yes, Chandler still believes McGregor wanted to fight him.
“I believe he wants to fight me,” Chandler said. “I believe he tried to fight me. I believe that’s how the negotiations went. Other plans were made, but the honor and the integrity of wanting to stick to and be a man of his word since he pulled out of that fight back in 2024.
“I know everyone is disappointed,” Chandler concluded, “but keep on watching. This ain’t the last you’re gonna see of Conor McGregor, and I’m excited to see how it plays out.”
So, Chandler is disappointed like everyone else.
But he is not buying the idea that McGregor quit, faked it or pulled one over on UFC fans.
And if there is one guy who has every reason to be bitter about McGregor’s latest injury disaster, it is probably him.
For more UFC 329 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
