Conor McGregor announces return on June 29th against Michael Chandler at 185
Conor McGregor is back now that USADA is whacked. Announced on his X account today, the day USADA was ousted by the UFC, Conor McGregor will finally face Michael Chandler. The fight will not be on UFC 300, however, which is in April. Instead, McGregor and Chandler will face off on June 29th during International Fight Week. The weirdest part, McGregor claims the weight will be not at lightweight, or even welterweight. McGregor says the fight will take place at middleweight. Check out the announcement below:
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 31, 2023
Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at middleweight?
The rumored bout between McGregor and Chandler has been embroiled in political hell for some time. McGregor broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021 and needed extensive recovery and physical therapy. But problems came up when McGregor wouldn’t re-enter the USADA pool. Before any cheating allegations are thrown McGregor’s way, studies have shown that the use of anabolic steroids have improved tibial fracture healing in mammals. Of course, that doesn’t mean McGregor will reap other benefits from the alleged use.
The fight, which is presumably UFC 302, will have the two coaches of The Ultimate Fighter season 31 finally face off after a long and tumultuous process.
International Fight Week is in fact slated for June 29 in Vegas. First time that IFW will be in June. It’s usually that first or second Saturday in July.
McGregor wanted to fight at 300. He pushed hard for it. He was ready, I’m told. But after meeting with the brass last week…
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 31, 2023
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported that the original plan for McGregor was for UFC 300 but that couldn’t come to fruition. Leon Edwards is rumored to be defending his title on the 300 card.
Michael Chandler has been very critical of Conor McGregor, accusing him of ducking the fight and wanting something easier. He went on Steve-O’s podcast and said the following:
Because if you were him, would you want to wait as long as possible for the guy like me.
The oddest part about all this is that McGregor said the fight will happen at 185. True or not, it makes sense that McGregor will come back at a larger weight, though nobody ever expected it to be middleweight. For now, we can take that with a grain of salt.
