Tag: UFC 309

Conor McGregor Gives First Reaction To Michael Chandler’s UFC 309 Loss: ‘Mad Little Fellow’

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor gave some surprising props to Michael Chandler a couple of days on from his defeat this past weekend. Chandler made the walk for the first time in two years at Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, bringing an end to his long wait to share the cage with McGregor by running […]

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor gave some surprising props to Michael Chandler a couple of days on from his defeat this past weekend.

Chandler made the walk for the first time in two years at Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, bringing an end to his long wait to share the cage with McGregor by running it back with ex-lightweight kingpin Charles Oliveira instead.

“Iron” had previously come inches away from defeating “Do Bronx” and becoming a UFC titleholder in just his second Octagon outing. A miraculous comeback from the Brazilian on that occasion, however, spoiled Chandler’s plans.

And in the co-main event at Madison Square Garden, Oliveira did so once again by establishing himself as the likely next in line for either Islam Makhachev or Arman Tsarukyan.

Oliveira’s second victory over Chandler came in much more convincing fashion, with “Do Bronx” dominating the American en route to a lopsided unanimous decision. The former Bellator champ did have his moments late in the day, and they were seemingly enough to get some respect from “The Notorious.”

After remaining silent on fight night, McGregor finally gave his reaction to Chandler’s display in a now-deleted X post Monday night.

Conor McGregor on Michael Chandle

“Cut Michael Chandler! Just kidding, good fight,” McGregor wrote. “Mad little fellow is Michael. I like em’!”

McGregor’s comment was without a response to Chandler’s post-fight callout. Despite his previously failed wait, “Iron” once again had the Dubliner’s name on his lips as he pursues the lucrative showdown opposite his fellow TUF 31 coach in 2025.

For now, the Irishman has matters to attend to in the court room. He’s currently embroiled in a civil action trial at Dublin’s Irish High Court after being accused of sexual assault.

Chael Sonnen Says UFC Won’t Struggle To Find Willing Opponents For Bo Nickal After Latest Performance

With his fourth win inside the Octagon, Bo Nickal continued to climb up the middleweight ladder on Saturday night at UFC 309 whilst remaining undefeated. Despite this, his latest outing was the first to raise some concerns regarding his current level. The 28-year old rising star went the distance with Scotland’s Paul Craig in the […]

With his fourth win inside the Octagon, Bo Nickal continued to climb up the middleweight ladder on Saturday night at UFC 309 whilst remaining undefeated. Despite this, his latest outing was the first to raise some concerns regarding his current level.

The 28-year old rising star went the distance with Scotland’s Paul Craig in the first decision win of his career. Though he won all three rounds against his toughest opponent to date, it was the manner of the performance that many took issue with as the two grappling specialists engaged in a lacklustre striking bout for the entire duration.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Nickal showed that he could win the fight without using his wrestling but with Craig not being known for his striking skills either, it wasn’t a particularly impressive display. Chael Sonnen believes that this performance will remove the fear factor and mystique surrounding Nickal during his time in the promotion.

We see it happen time and time again where an exciting prospect comes up against their toughest test and is shown to not be an unbeatable phenom just quite yet. Though Sonnen admitted that Nickal needs time before making the next step up, he believes that the UFC will no longer have any problems matching him after he looked far more beatable than we’ve seen in the past.

“Those days are done, for now, they’re put on hold. The conversation that nobody has called out Bo Nickal, that will change. Come Monday, people will be calling for him. The idea that Bo is the boogeyman in the closet that Dana and Hunter just cannot find opponents for because there is so much respect put on Bo’s name mixed with fear… that is gone. They will find opponents for Bo very quickly now and it doesn’t need to be that way.” 

‘Based UFC Europe’ Account Plays Matchmaker For Jon Jones — Aspinall, Aspinall, Or Aspinall

The conversation surrounding Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall hasn’t disappeared in the aftermath of UFC 309 this past weekend. A lot of fans, media and fellow fighters were very vocal in the lead up to the event about the potential of seeing the heavyweight title unification fight. Whether it was people talking about Jones’ comments […]

The conversation surrounding Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall hasn’t disappeared in the aftermath of UFC 309 this past weekend. A lot of fans, media and fellow fighters were very vocal in the lead up to the event about the potential of seeing the heavyweight title unification fight.

Whether it was people talking about Jones’ comments regarding not wanting to fight the interim heavyweight champion or fans arguing that it should have been Aspinall in the main event instead of a returning Stipe Miocic, the controversy regarding this huge match-up has dominated discussions both before and after the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden.

In his post-fight interview after stopping Miocic in the third round in what was a one-sided heavyweight title fight, Jones suggested that he will stick around for one more fight if he can come to terms with the UFC. Despite saying “maybe we’ll give you guys what you want to see”, “Bones” stated in his press conference that he isn’t interested in fighting Aspinall and only has eyes for the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.

The UFC Europe account on social media weighed in on the topic via a fairly standard post that offered three options for a champion’s next challenge. However, columns A, B and C all featured one name and one name only.

Like-minded fight fans gave their reactions to the post from the official account on X.

“What the UFC Europe social media guy remembered before posting this”

“Based UFC Europe”

“UFC Europe banger”

“I’m all for any of the three options. They all seem like perfect fights to make next for Jon Jones”

Bo Nickal Unhappy With Commentary Of UFC 309 Win: To Hear DC Say, ‘He’s Not Ready For Khamzat…’

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal has continued to defend his performance on Saturday night — this time against what he’s branded “disappointing” commentary. Nickal extended his perfect professional MMA and UFC records on the main card of this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, getting past his toughest test to date in the form of Paul […]

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal has continued to defend his performance on Saturday night — this time against what he’s branded “disappointing” commentary.

Nickal extended his perfect professional MMA and UFC records on the main card of this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, getting past his toughest test to date in the form of Paul Craig.

But the American wrestling specialist wasn’t tested in the Scotsman’s domain, with the three-round affair playing out entirely on the feet. That led to a less than exciting contest, which the crowd inside Madison Square Garden let the two fighters know.

Boos rained down following the fight and throughout Nickal’s Octagon interview, and they were only amplified when the undefeated 185lber dismissed the fans’ complaints and expressed joy at how he performed.

As it turns out, the paying audience weren’t the only ones with an opinion that Nickal thoroughly disagreed with…

During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Nickal took issue with the cageside commentators after watching back his victory over “Bearjew” in New York City.

Nickal appeared particularly frustrated by Daniel Cormier apparently writing off his chances against Khamzat Chimaev based off that performance.

“The commentary and just hearing the way that they were looking at the fight, it made me feel like they didn’t know what was going on as much,” Nickal said. “Because anybody that I’ve talked to that are people that I trust and shoot straight with me were like, ‘Dude, you shut that guy out. Domination. It was a flawless fight.’ Then to hear ‘DC’ say things like, ‘Oh, he’s not ready for Khamzat [Chimaev]’ — I think he was trying to be respectful but also maybe set me down a peg. It was just weird to hear.

“It was a little disappointing to hear those comments from people that I respect a lot. What was going on in these guys’ heads? It just makes me feel like they don’t know what was happening,” Nickal continued. “It’s confusing because I’m like, ‘Wait, what? How do you get that from that?’ I didn’t even really get touched. It’s so crazy.”

Cormier wasn’t the only one sharing that sentiment — and getting pushback from Nickal soon after.

Former welterweight title challenger and middleweight contender Darren Till suggested the same in a more colorful fashion on social media. The decorated wrestler gave a short and sweet reply, attaching a GIF of “The Gorilla’s” knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal in 2019.

UFC Rankings Report: Jon Jones Denied Pound-For-Pound Top Spot

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 309, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Dana White won’t be pleased looking at the updated P4P pecking order. Jon […]

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 309, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Dana White won’t be pleased looking at the updated P4P pecking order. Jon Jones’ successful heavyweight title defense at Madison Square Garden wasn’t enough to convince the panel that he should have the crown, with that remaining in Islam Makhachev’s possession. “Bones” has, however, climbed above Alex Pereira (#3) into the #2 position.

Further down, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (#15) has returned to the list as a result of his triumph over Michael Chandler on Saturday night. That’s left ex-middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya without a number entirely.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: There was just one change at 125 pounds, with Karine Silva’s defeat to Viviane Araújo at UFC 309 pushing her back one place to #12. That’s provided a boost for Tracy Cortez, who is up one spot to #11 months on from her main event loss to Rose Namajunas.

Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.

Flyweight: No changes.

Bantamweight: Marcus McGhee has debuted in the UFC rankings following his victory over Jonathan Martinez. “The Maniac” has entered at #14, while his defeated opponent is no longer ranked. Aiemann Zahabi has been a beneficiary of those changes, seeing his number improved by one to #13.

Featherweight: No changes.

Lightweight: A few changes unrelated to Saturday’s pay-per-view have taken place at 155 pounds. That includes a switch of positions for Mateusz Gamrot and Beneil Dariush, with the former up to #8 and the latter down to #9. It’s a similar situation further down the ladder, with Paddy Pimblett climbing above Jalin Turner (#14) to #13.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: Following his defeat to Jones, Stipe Miocic announced his retirement from active competition inside the cage. With that, he’s swiftly been removed from the UFC rankings and replaced by Shamil Gaziev, who’s slot in at #15.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Conor McGregor Calls For Dana White to Cut Michael Chandler Following Latest Loss at UFC 309

Conor McGregor Calls For Dana White to Cut Michael Chandler Following Latest Loss at UFC 309Conor McGregor thinks Michael Chandler should be cut after coming up short at UFC 309. Okay, not really, but…

Conor McGregor Calls For Dana White to Cut Michael Chandler Following Latest Loss at UFC 309

Conor McGregor thinks Michael Chandler should be cut after coming up short at UFC 309. Okay, not really, but we all knew the Irish megastar would eventually react to Chandler’s latest loss one way or another.

After waiting the better part of two years for a fight with McGregor that never came to fruition, the former Bellator champion returned to the Octagon on Saturday night for a rematch with former lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira. Chandler delivered another exciting showing that had fight fans on their feet — particularly in the fifth and final round — but it wasn’t enough to land in the win column.

Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor

‘Do Bronx’ leaned on his BJJ skills to take an early lead against ‘Iron’ and never look back, setting himself up for a potential rematch with reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev — once the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ takes care of a bit of business with Arman Tsarukyan.

McGregor, who was long-tied to a fight with Chandler until ‘Iron’ ultimately decided to move on, reacted to his former TUF foe’s loss on social media.

Conor McGregor

“Cut Michael Chandler! Just kidding, good fight,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted post on X. “Mad little fellow is Michael. I like ’em!”

Dana White assures conor mcGregor that ‘Iron’ isn’t going anywhere

Even if McGregor was sincere in his initial statement, it sounds like Dana White has no intention of letting Chandler go.

“He’s like an Arturo Gatti,” White said during the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “He’s one of those — win, lose, or draw, you’re never bummed out at the end of a Michael Chandler fight. He’s always exciting, he’s always fun. In the last round of that fight, he kept getting taken down.

“He got on his back. So when he got on his back at the end, he just stood up and started slamming him…The kid always tries to win. He always comes to fight, and Michael Chandler’s always going to have a home here. Until he decides to retire, Michael Chandler isn’t going anywhere” (h/t MMA Mania).

On paper, Chandler’s record isn’t exactly anything to write home about. He’s 2-4 with losses against the likes of Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Charles Oliveira. But those who watched those fights know the value that ‘Iron’ brings to any UFC card he’s connected to.

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