Author: Chandra Moulee Das
The possibility of a clash between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is still uncertain. McGregor, a beloved Irish fighter, returned to the mixed martial arts (MMA) spotlight as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 earlier this year. On the other hand, Chandler is eagerly awaiting the chance to face McGregor in the octagon.
However, there is an obstacle to these plans. McGregor, who is now 35 years old, has not yet returned to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool. UFC athletes are required to undergo six months of tests before they can compete. Despite this setback, McGregor is still open to the idea of facing Chandler.
McGregor expressed his willingness on Twitter, stating that he is ready to fight anyone if the UFC wants him to. However, he also suggested that the UFC may no longer be interested in Chandler, considering the many other interesting match-ups available. McGregor’s return date remains uncertain, and he doesn’t seem to be worried about his opponent. He even mentioned that he had traveled with Paulie Malinaggi for a fight before.
McGregor tweeted: “I’ll do it if they want me to, no problem. But I don’t think they want him anymore. There are a lot of interesting fights out there and my return date is my return date. I never cared who it was. Never. I’ll fight anyone. I’ll even fly them to me, just ask [Paulie] Malinaggi. I’ll fly in and bet on it“.
McGregor’s most recent appearance in the octagon was in a trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Unfortunately, he suffered a leg injury and was unable to continue after the first round, facing another setback in his quest for redemption.
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As for Chandler, his last fight was at UFC 264 in November 2022, when he was defeated by Poirier via rear-naked choke in the third round. Although Team McGregor is returning to TUF 31, Team Chandler’s leadership has proven dominant as the season progresses into the secondary bracket. Despite this, Chandler remains steadfast in his pursuit of a fight with McGregor, even though he will have been inactive for a year by the time they meet in the octagon, unless there is a USADA exemption.