Michael Chandler calls for ‘2022’ fight vs. Conor McGregor following UFC 268 war with Justin Gaethje

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Michael Chandler looks to be eyeing a matchup with the biggest star in the sport following one of the most entertaining fights of the year.

The former Bellator champion lost a unanimous decision to Justin Gaethje to kick off the main card of Saturday’s UFC 268 event at Madison Square Garden in an all-out, chaotic battle. Chandler took to Twitter on Monday morning and looks to have pinpointed former two-division world champion Conor McGregor as his next potential opponent.

2022 pic.twitter.com/Da0D3zhOEr

— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) November 8, 2021

Not long after, McGregor responded to Chandler’s challenge, accepting for some time in the future.

I’m down at some stage for sure. Great fight the other night Mike, congrats!

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 8, 2021

Both fighters will be looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses so the matchup certainly would make sense for a number of reasons. McGregor is recovering from a leg injury suffered in the closing moments of his first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July. Poirier also stopped the former lightweight and featherweight champion in January in the main event of UFC 257.

Chandler was seconds away from becoming a UFC champion when he faced Charles Oliveira at UFC 262. “Iron” had Oliveira badly hurt in the first round, but “Du Bronx” was able to weather the storm and turn things around, earning a second-round TKO victory to capture the vacant lightweight title.