Dana White made a number of big announcements on Saturday, the most notable of which was undoubtedly the confirmation that Conor McGregor would return to the Octagon this year, with Michael Chandler as his opponent.
An injury to the Irish UFC fighter’s leg at UFC 264 versus Dustin Poirier has kept him out of action for over two years. Having fully recovered, McGregor has been dropping hints about a number of upcoming fights, including one with Michael Chandler, which has now been confirmed by UFC president Dana White.
MCGREGOR ET CHANDLER SERONT LES COACHS DU PROCHAIN TUF ET SE BATTRONT À LA FIN DE LA SAISON ! 🚨
(@danawhite) pic.twitter.com/B1KSBhEIfy
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) February 4, 2023
Dana White discusses a variety of issues related to the return of the former lightweight and featherweight champion, one of which being the reasoning behind the selection of Chandler as Conor McGregor’s opponent for the most important fight of McGregor’s career.
“Conor’s a massive star, No. 1. He’s been away for a while. And the timing was perfect for it. That’s why we did it. I think that’s the fight that people want to see right now. I think that’s an exciting fight,” Dana said.
Chandler, who holds the number seven spot in the lightweight rankings and has a record of 23-8 in mixed martial arts and 2-3 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has been longing for a fight with Conor for a long time, and Dana claimed that the wish is about to be granted.
“With Chandler and Conor, I think there’s a level of respect between those two. But when you get inside and you see each other every day and you’re crossing paths, things happen. I don’t know how it’s going to play out, and that makes the season fun.” Dana further added.
The Notorious will have to wait a little longer to make his way back into the Octagon because it is expected — that the Irishman will first appear as a coach on the upcoming 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will start on May 30.
UFC President also confirmed that this season’s The Ultimate Fighter will be broadcast on ESPN, which is a significant development given that the long-running show originally aired on Spike, then had a stint on FOX, and is now actually going to be broadcast on ESPN the network.
𝙄𝙏'𝙎 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙀𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂…𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙇𝙀𝙍 𝙫 𝙈𝙘𝙂𝙍𝙀𝙂𝙊𝙍 🤯
Dana White confirms McGregor and Chandler as TUF coaches, and they’ll fight at the end of the season…
Date and location to be confirmed! pic.twitter.com/eTggKi4lPf
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) February 4, 2023
In the summer of 2021, The Notorious competed in his last octagon bout, losing to American Dustin Poirier at the UFC 264. Before he was knocked out for a second time by The Diamond, he suffered a broken tibia and fibula.
