UFC 303: Tom Aspinall urges Michael Chandler to look beyond disappointment of Conor McGregor withdrawal
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Published 23/06/2024 at 15:35 GMT+1
Michael Chandler's bout against Conor McGregor at UFC 303 was cancelled after the Irishman suffered a broken toe in training. McGregor said it was "absolutely gut-wrenching" to withdraw from the fight, but it also leaves Chandler at a crossroads. After waiting almost two years for a bout of this magnitude, Tom Aspinall says it is time for Chandler to put McGregor on the backburner.
Aspinall: Chandler in a ‘bad spot’ and ‘needs to move on’ from McGregor fight
Tom Aspinall has urged Michael Chandler to move on from the disappointment of his cancelled UFC 303 bout against Conor McGregor.
Chandler was due to face the former two-time UFC champion in a blockbuster headliner for the UFC 303 card, but the Irishman withdrew due to a broken toe.
The 38-year-old has not fought since a submission defeat to Dustin Poirier on November 12, 2022 at UFC 281, and Aspinall believes that he should turn his focus elsewhere.
Speaking on the latest episode of Tom Aspinall’s Fight Lab, available to watch at 17:00 BST on Sunday on TNT TNT Sports 1 and discovery+, he said: “He [Chandler] is in a bad spot.
“He has waited all that time for this guy, and to get it pulled again from under him, in my opinion, he just needs to move on and start looking forward to other stuff.”
McGregor took to social media and expressed his frustration at having to pull out from the high-profile bout and said: "We were so f****** super ready for this fight it is absolutely gut-wrenching to take.
"We had a lapse in concentration and engaged in a training session without wearing the full protective gear and I hit the toe off the elbow and broke the toe clean. It needs a few weeks, that’s it.
"I couldn’t justify to my team, or fans, that I make the walk hindered again. That walk has been seen.
"This next walk has got to be, and it will be, 100% Conor McGregor. The fans deserve it and we are getting close. A slight lapse in concentration and a nuisance of an injury was picked up.
"That’s it. Take the lesson and move forward. I will get this back. I’ve got to. I’ve got two fights left on my contract. I’m coming to shine. I gotta just take my time.
"I’ll be back. See ya’s soon. See ya at the top. Chandler or not."
UFC 303 will now be headlined by the light heavyweight title rematch which pits Alex Pereira against Jiri Prochazka, with Brian Ortega v Diego Lopes the co-main event.
Aspinall also had his say on Poirier’s options within the UFC after losing his lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev in the UFC 302 main event.
The current UFC interim heavyweight champion feels that going for the title is a step too far for the 35-year-old, and touted Max Holloway or Justin Gaethje as potential opponents.
“I think he's in a tough spot now, because he's mid-30s and he's not just had a million fights, but a million battles,” Aspinall said.
“In the lightweight division, he has at least four or five fights before he gets a title shot.
“Listening to his interviews, as a fan, I don't know if I want to see him go through the fire again.
“I'd like to see him get Max Holloway in a BMF belt or maybe a Justin Gaethje fight again. I'd like to see that kind of stuff, but as far as him campaigning for a title again, I think that's a bit much for him.”
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