Conor McGregor, a former UFC lightweight champion, and Michael Chandler, a former Bellator MMA lightweight champion, were announced as the star-studded pairing that would coach Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and then fight at the top of one of the ensuing pay-per-view (PPV) cards to settle their reality show score.
In the months that followed, TUF came to a close, McGregor engaged in a battle with USADA, while Chandler sat on his couch fidgeting. White proceeded to seem clueless at every news conference while “Notorious” kept making promises that were never kept. As of now, early to mid-2024 will undoubtedly see their main performance.
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Michael Chandler Hopes To Fight Conor McGregor
“The status is, unequivocally, the fight is still happening,” Chandler told The MMA Hour. “The fight is not booked for a date, the fight is not booked for a venue, but the fight is booked between Chandler and Conor. There’s no way that Conor comes back and doesn’t fight me. If Conor doesn’t fight me, he’s probably not coming back — and that’s out of my control.”
“I’m ready to fight in January, February, March, April, May, whenever,” Chandler continued. “It makes a lot of sense that there is a very historic card coming up with the UFC. I haven’t been told that’s when it’s going to be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s when it is. If it is, I got more and more time to prepare.”
Since breaking his leg in a technical knockout loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in the summer of 2021—his third defeat in four fights at lightweight—McGregor, 35, has not taken the ring. Chandler, 37, is also trying to get over his “Diamond” loss from UFC 281, where he submitted to a rear-naked choke in November.
Given his age and recent UFC record, McGregor would likely be a strong fit for the UFC 300 main event. However, he might only have one more mega-gate (and PPV windfall) left in him. Additionally, the promotion may not have many options right now given that Jon Jones has hinted at retiring.
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