UFC star Michael Chandler took to his Instagram on Memorial Day to express his sense of patriotism and love of country.
Chandler — the former lightweight title challenger — finds himself just a few weeks away from his main event spot opposite former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, Conor McGregor.
Chandler told his followers, “I am so dang proud to be an American,” and expressed his gratitude to “those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for this beautiful nation of ours.”
The UFC recently announced that prior to their showdown at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, Chandler and McGregor will take part in a press conference on June 3 in Dublin, Ireland.
In light of that news, Chandler said he “will wear that red, white, and blue proudly as I stroll into Ireland next weekend and then in just over 4 weeks, stroll into Las Vegas donning the red, white and blue of the greatest country that has ever been assembled.”
He ended his post on a sobering and respectful note.
Will you watch the Chandler-McGregor fight?
He asked his followers to enjoy the day but reminded them to “remember why we’re doing it. God bless the USA, God bless those who have served past, present, and future, and God bless those who have given their life and paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
It is breath of fresh air for a professional athlete to praise this great nation of ours.
Nobody told Chandler to make this video. This wasn’t a PR stunt orchestrated by the UFC.
This is just a man who loves his country and wants his followers to know it.
This is the mentality we must all adopt if we want our country to succeed and prosper.
It’s too often we see NFL stars, other high-profile athletes, or celebrities bashing the United States despite owing so much of their success, happiness, and safety to it and those who have made it great.
UFC 303 is the much-anticipated return of both Chandler and McGregor as the former has not fought since November 2022 in a loss to Dustin Poirier and the latter since July 2021 when he also suffered a loss to Poirier.
Chandler and McGregor coached opposite one another on the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2023.
Their matchup was one fans yearned for but had to wait patiently on as it was not made official until April 2024.
Fans who have watched Chandler since his UFC debut in January 2021 should already be aware of how he feels about his country. He is usually seen bearing the American flag on his way to the octagon.
While he took this Memorial Day to patriotically remind fans that we should all love and praise our great nation, he took time to hype up the fight — as UFC 303 is one of the most anticipated pay-per-view cards this year.
