Transitioning from a career in sports often poses a challenging question to athletes, who commonly retire in their early to mid-forties. Endeavoring to keep their lives active, many venture into the world of entrepreneurship, broadcasting, or choose to guide future generations through coaching. In this context, UFC fighter Michael Chandler, was queried about his plans after retirement. He eschewed the idea of commentary and upheld an inclination for podcasting.
During a recent podcast interaction with Bo Nickal, the 38-year-old UFC stalwart, Michael Chandler, conceded that his time in the sport is drawing to a close. He contemplated aloud about the course he might take after he decides to finally hang up his gloves. Chandler confessed that he had sampled the world of commentary but it failed to resonate with his interests.
Drifting away from conventional retirement paths, Chandler asserted his enthusiasm for podcasting and interacting with his listener base. He shared, “The experience of commenting didn’t live up to my anticipations…It didn’t captivate me as I had expected. I am more inclined towards using this platform of the microphone to reach out to people.” However, he did not entirely close doors to commentary.
Signifying the pragmatic side of his thinking, Chandler added that should an attractive proposal for commentary present itself, he would be open to considering it. Nonetheless, he visualizes himself primarily in the sphere of podcasting post-retirement. This viewpoint of Chandler solicits understanding from the UFC fraternity, given his lengthy anticipation of a bout with Conor McGregor.
However, Chandler’s wait for the McGregor match may have been in vain, as the latter seemingly sets his sights on Dan Hooker for his next fight. McGregor announced his intention to fight ‘Hangman’ in the coming February at the recent BKFC Spain event, which raised curiosity about Chandler’s reaction to this development.
Responding to the news, the fighter popularly known as ‘Iron’ decided not to read too much into McGregor’s declaration. He even described McGregor as being unpredictable, saying, “Conor [McGregor] is someone who changes his mind often. He just had a chat with Dan Hooker… It’s as simple as, ‘Hey, we could have a good fight. Let’s take on each other.’ I didn’t give this more thought than necessary.”
In interpreting McGregor’s recent remarks, Chandler perceives it as yet another instance of the Irish fighter’s caprice. However, at 38 years old, Chandler still seems to harbor hope for a face-off with McGregor. In the meantime, his sights are set on the forthcoming UFC 309 clash, where he will square off against Charles Oliveira.