Michael Chandler is finally returning to the octagon after nearly two years, putting the wait for Conor McGregor behind him to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 next month. Chandler recently opened up about how he felt upon hearing that McGregor had pulled out of their UFC 303 matchup, admitting that the news hit him hard.

In a recent interview with Bo Nickal on the UFC middleweight’s YouTube channel, Chandler revealed that while McGregor’s withdrawal was a tough pill to swallow, it opened up other big opportunities for him. The former UFC title challenger said:

“I waited long enough. I waited the right amount of time, having the security and the reassurances behind the scenes that nobody knew about to actually get the fight booked.”

He added:

“I’m not going to say it didn’t hit me hard, because it did, especially with the waiting leading up to it. But you just have to roll with it. If something bad happens and a good thing comes from it… That’s been proven in my life countless times. Now, here I am as the number one contender, set to fight Charles Oliveira. If I beat him, I’ll fight Islam for the belt.”

Check out Michael Chandler’s comments below:

Chandler and McGregor’s rivalry stems from ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 31, which featured the two fighters as opposing coaches. Many factors, including McGregor’s public feud with USADA and his media obligations for ‘Road House’ further delayed the fight from coming to fruition.

Chandler was finally expected to fight McGregor at UFC 303 on International Fight Week. However, just weeks before the pay-per-view, the Irishman injured his toe and pulled out of the fight.’

‘Iron’ last fought in 2022 against Dustin Poirier, losing via submission in a back-and-forth barnburner at Madison Square Garden. He will look to bounce back when he returns to the same iconic venue for his rematch against former champion Oliveira.