Conor McGregor’s long awaited comeback is now official, with Dana White confirming today that he’ll fight Michael Chandler later this year.
However, first the two will star as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Season 31, which begins filming soon in Las Vegas and will air from May 30th through to August 15th on ESPN and ESPN+, with the two stars then fighting each other after the show’s conclusion on pay-per-view at a date and location that’s still to be confirmed.
White announced the fight in a video today on social media which you can watch below, and Chandler has since given his immediate thoughts on the announcement.
“Pumped is an understatement… See you at the top!” Chandler wrote.
“The cat is out the bag! Team Chandler vs Team McGregor. Heading to Las Vegas very soon to film in the same city as my future opponent later this year, Conor McGregor.”
For McGregor it’ll have been over two years since he last fought when he does eventually step into the Octagon against Chandler, with his last outing against Dustin Poirier in July of 2021 ending in disaster when he broke his leg late in the first round.
That counted as a TKO loss and was the 34-year-old former double-champion’s third defeat in his last four fights, so ‘The Notorious’ will have a lot to prove when he does return to action.
As for the 36-year-old Chandler, he too has suffered losses in three of his last four appearances, starting with a TKO loss to Charles Oliveira in a title fight back in 2021, but the former Bellator champion is still ranked No.5 in the division and hasn’t given up on his ambitions to one day lift the UFC title too.
