Michael Chandler has denied he wants to fight Conor McGregor for a payday and instead praised the Irishman for revolutionising the UFC.
The American was defeated in a classic lightweight encounter against Justin Gaethje at UFC 267 and was part of a bloody battle that left him requiring 22 stitches.
And he reiterated his previous desire to face McGregor by calling him out on social media once again in the aftermath of his defeat.
But the 35-year-old has insisted he doesn't want to challenge McGregor for the financial reward, and instead just wants to be part of the sport's biggest occasions.
"I think everybody wants to fight Conor obviously but I wanna fight him for a different reason," Chandler told the MMA Hour. I think everybody wants to fight Conor because they know it's a big payday.
'I'm here in MMA to do big things, to be in big fights, big stages, big opponents, in big arenas with a lot of eyeballs. That's what excites me about a fight with Conor.
"Its not the payday, it's not the red panty nights and it's not the thing that all these other fighters are chasing. Of course I want that to to provide for my family.
"But I want epic moments of maximum amounts of impact and that is what you get when you fight Conor McGregor."
The American referenced "red panty night" which is a term coined by McGregor for fighters who lost against him but earned a large payday in the process, and he first made the joke to Rafael Dos Anjos during a press conference.
Chandler initially called for an "electrifying" fight with McGregor in the build-up to his defeat against Gaethje earlier in the month.
And McGregor responded to the offer by agreeing to fight Chandler on social media.
However it remains unclear when any potential bout would take place with McGregor currently continuing his rehabilitation from a broken leg injury suffered against Dustin Poirier.
And Chandler could also face some recovery time outside of the octagon after undergoing extensive medical checks in hospital after a brutal battle with Gaethje.
Will Michael Chandler get his shot against Conor McGregor? Let us know your verdict in the comments section below
McGregor also has a number of other options on the table for his return including a lightweight rematch with Max Holloway and a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz.
However Chandler is confident that a fight could take place next year and has admitted having huge respect for McGregor's influence on the rise of the UFC.
"I got a ton of respect for Conor because what Conor has done," Chandler continued. "And people will discredit what he has done because of certain things that he has said - but what he has done is revolutionise the entire sport.
"The sport of MMA is just better because Conor McGregor is in it. It's bigger. It's got more big eyeballs on it because of what Conor has done. So to share the octagon with him, that's why I want to do it.
"We will see what happens, I wish Conor well on his recovery. I have seen he is back in training and moving around and stuff, but we have to remember he doesn't need to fight.
"He deserves some time the man is set for life and he fights for what it does to his soul, but I think it is a fight that makes sense."
