“Insert foot in my mouth!” Michael Chandler apologizes to Islam Makhachev after wrongly predicting Dagestani champ’s future

Michael Chandler admits that he was proved wrong by Islam Makhachev. Now, he showed his interest in fighting him next after Conor McGregor.

“Insert foot in my mouth!” Michael Chandler apologizes to Islam Makhachev after wrongly predicting Dagestani champ’s future

Michael Chandler showed his interest in fighting Islam Makhachev (via X)

Michael Candler and Islam Makhachev are two big names in the top five of the UFC lightweight division. The latter impressed everyone with his Dagestani wrestling-heavy style and tore through the division. As such, he became a champion and already defended his title twice. Earlier, Makhachev called out Chandler when he had to rise through the rankings. But, now the tables have turned, and ‘Iron’ expressed his interest in fighting the lightweight champion.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Michael Chandler spoke about his most anticipated fight against Conor McGregor. As such, he believed he could finish him in two rounds and called his shots to fight Islam Makhachev next. But before that, he respected the lightweight champion and repeatedly mentioned how he was proved wrong. Here is what he said:

Man, I just want to fight Islam so bad. I think I have a ton of respect for Islam. I stand corrected. I have to insert my foot in my mouth a couple different times. I thought he was going to lose to numerous guys, he never did.
Michael Chandler via The MMA Hour
YouTube video

Michael Chandler picked opposite Islam Makhachev in his fights against Charles Olivera and Alexander Volkanovski. But he proved ‘Iron’ wrong. Even before these two fights, Chandler doubted Makhacehv’s ability numerous times. However, when Chandler came in fresh from Bellator, the Dagestani wanted to fight Chandler as he was ranked above him. However, that fight didn’t materialize, and things remain much different.

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Islam Makhachev and Charles Olivera were booked to fight in UFC 294, but the latter pulled out, citing an injury. Now, they are rumored to fight again in early 2024. On the other hand, Michael Chandler hasn’t fought for over a year as he chased a lucrative fight with Conor McGregor. The fight is now expected to go down in early 2024.

Islam Makhacehv called out of Michael Chandler in 2021

Islam Makachev faced Thiago Moises in a UFC Fight Night event in 2021. He dominated Moises and finished him in the fourth round with an RNC submission. Later, he called out Michael Chandler in his backstage interview with ESPN. Behind the scenes was ‘Iron’ working as an analyst with the broadcast team.

Islam Makhachev called out Michael Chandler earlier in 2021
Islam Makhachev called out Michael Chandler earlier in 2021 (via Monster Energy/IMDb)

Being a respectable guy, Michael Chandler acknowledged Islam Makhacehv’s performance and appreciated him for the win. However, Makhachev believed in his abilities and mentioned that ‘Iron’ was given an easy fight in his UFC debut and wanted to test his skills. Here is what he said:

Let's go Chandler. You come for easy fight to UFC, no? You come from Bellator, we want to give you hard time, you know? Let's do this. Hey Chandler, if you hear me, let's go. Let's do this. You come from Bellator, I want to check your skills.
Islam Makhacehv via ESPN MMA

Later, Michael Chandler had his shot at the title against Charles Olivera. But he lost the fight via TKO. On the other hand, Islam Makhachev rose through the rankings and won the title by submitting Olivera, the man Chandler couldn’t win against. Currently, Chandler just has two wins in his five fights while Makhachev just has one loss in his whole UFC career.

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