Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor confirmed that Michael Chandler remains his targeted opponent for his return to the octagon, despite several setbacks for the proposed fight, while also expressing his intention to return to the ring against Nate Diaz.
Conor McGregor has reconfirmed his interest in battling it out with Michael Chandler, despite previous setbacks that led to the cancellation of their planned fight. The former double UFC champion, when speaking to All Out Fighting, emphasized that Chandler should stay patient, adding, “The Mac will be here soon.” Throughout this year, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler have been coaching opposing teams on The Ultimate Fighter 31. Subsequently, Kurt Holobaugh of Team Chandler and Brad Katona, McGregor’s protégé, became winners in the lightweight and bantamweight brackets respectively. Originally, there were plans for McGregor and Chandler to face off towards the end of 2023, however, that matchup never materialized.
When queried about the prospective 2023 fight date, McGregor appeared optimistic regardless of how unlikely the scenario seemed. His response was “En route, I’m still hoping for December.” However, UFC recently finalized its year-end events for 2023, which include five championship bouts. Observers consider it highly unlikely that a high-stakes fight like McGregor’s would be squeezed into this already packed schedule.
Dana White, UFC CEO, echoed this sentiment last week while discussing McGregor vs. Chandler and whether the intended 2023 date was now impossible, commenting, “I got nothing on either one of those guys right now… next year is when Conor’s going to fight.” However, he also added that if Chandler became “antsy,” they would “figure something out.” White speculated that as Chandler was well-off financially and was curbing his urge to fight by spending time with family, the right time for the McGregor fight would be when Chandler felt ready. McGregor has been sidelined since July 2021 due to a leg injury during his second defeat against Dustin Poirier. Despite winning only one fight since 2016 and a 1-3 record in his last four, McGregor remains MMA’s most significant figure and continues to assure fans of his return to UFC.
Aside from discussing health and potential fights, McGregor also shared his thoughts about Nate Diaz’s recent professional boxing debut against Jake Paul. McGregor’s critique of Diaz’s defeat to Paul was candid, expressing, “It was not great…. I’d like to see him back in MMA.” The Irishman also admitted a debt to Diaz, “I owe Nate a fight… He gave me my rematch, and I got the better of him, and I owe him the trilogy for sure.”