UFC 309’s Michael Chandler looking to break ‘MSG curse’ ahead of co-main scrap: ‘This arena has shattered my dreams’

Alexander Behunin specializes in running MMAmania.com's various social media accounts, as well as covering live UFC events, interviewing the sports biggest stars and personalities.

"Iron" has a curse?

Michael Chandler makes his long-awaited Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) return to competition after unsuccessfully waiting for Conor McGregor, taking on Charles Oliveira this weekend (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024) at UFC 309 from inside the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Chandler last competed inside MSG in a losing effort against Dustin Poirier and now looks to right the wrong in the legendary building; in fact, he is winless (0-3) inside MSG.

Indeed, "Iron" lost to Brent Primus when he was with Bellator, the only time Bellator visited "The Garden." Then, Chandler dropped a firecracker to Justin Gaethje in his second UFC fight, which ended up being “Fight of the Year,” and, one year later, lost to the aforementioned Poirier.

Some might call it a curse — just like Derrick Lewis constantly losing in his home state of Texas. Or, Chris Weidman losing in “The Empire State” three times. But, it's not necessarily a curse for Chandler.

On the contrary, it's a storyline.

"I'm defeated at MSG, 0-3," Chandler told Ariel Helwani. "I actually just ran into a guy who had been to all three of my fights at MSG, and he's like, 'Hey dude, we got to break the MSG curse!'

“But, I also look at this like another layer where I'm like, of course, this is how it's supposed to be,” Chandler continued. “To fight the guy who has already beat you, who also shattered your dreams to fight at the arena who has also shattered your dreams every single time. I've never won inside there, and now it's time to right that wrong."

Is Chandler superstitious about fighting in an arena where he's lost so much?

"No, not even a little bit," Chandler said. "I asked for this card. We wanted to fight in October, but I need to do a serious legitimate weigh cut. I had been preparing my mind and body for 170 pounds for the last 1.5 years, and now I only have 10 weeks to get down to 155 for October.

“It wasn't going to happen,” Chandler concluded. “It was too soon, so I wanted MSG, and we got it."

With a win inside Madison Square Garden, Chandler believes he will snatch Oliveira's No. 2 ranking, forcing Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, to fight him in 2025.

Good luck breaking that curse, Mike.

LIVE! Watch UFC 309 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

LEGACY ON THE LINE! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to “The Big Apple” in New York, N.Y., on Sat., Nov. 16, 2024, with the long-awaited, legacy-defining Heavyweight showdown between reigning division champion, Jon Jones, looking to ride off into the sunset as the bonafide G.O.A.T. at the expense of former kingpin, Stipe Miocic. In UFC 309’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-headliner from inside Madison Square Garden, former Lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, will run it back with Michael Chandler, who has been sitting on the sidelines unsuccessfully waiting for Conor McGregor’s ill-fated comeback. UFC 309 will also feature the exciting returns of super prospects Mauricio Ruffy and Bo Nickal (in separate fights) and so much more! UFC 309’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (Prelims card) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 309 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

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