Conor Mcgregor recently posted a video announcing his next fight date, opponent, and weight. He claims to fight Michael Chandler in June at a whopping 185 pounds. This is a weight class that neither McGregor nor Chandler have fought at in any mixed martial arts organization. While this may be a scare tactic to get Chandler to refuse the fight, Chandler has already responded to McGregor saying, “185 would look good on me.”
While McGregor has preemptively stated on social media, Sunday, that the “greatest comeback of all time” would take place during UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas, the UFC has yet to confirm nor deny.
The proposal of 185 pounds is exciting because both McGregor and Chandler’s “natural” fight weight is lightweight, 155 pounds. McGregor won his two titles at featherweight, 145 lbs, and lightweight, 155 lbs. While he has fought at 170 lbs against Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone, 185 lbs would be the heaviest matchup he has had to date. Chandler, on the other hand, has also held a title at 155 lbs in Bellator but has since only fought at 155 lbs in the UFC.
In a buildup to this matchup, McGregor and Chandler coached against each other in “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series last year. Typically, these series are used as buildup for a UFC match. However, no official date had ever been set. McGregor has continuously hinted at taking other fights before giving Chandler his “red panty night.” Some of these fights include a bare-knuckle boxing match and even a bout against retired boxer Manny Pacquiao.
Most recently, there were headlines between McGregor and the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which until recently was the UFC’s anti-doping partner. USADA claims that this partnership disintegrated due to the UFC wanting to allow McGregor to fight without serving a mandatory six-month testing window after exiting the testing pool for his injury. The UFC has since denied these claims and demanded an apology for such defamation.
UFC has announced a new partnership with the collection agency, Drug Free Sport International.
Conor McGregor has not fought since his loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021 where he infamously broke his leg mid-fight. We hope this fight announcement is true because we would love to see the highly anticipated “comeback” of McGregor and end the elongated buildup with Chandler. Michael Chandler, only 5 fights into the UFC, has won the hearts of many UFC fans with his charisma and in-Octagon flash. So, no matter the outcome we can expect a lively match between Mcgregor and Chandler – if it does finally happen!
FAQ
What promotion did Michael Chandler fight with before the UFC?
Michael Chandler held a 155 lb championship belt at Bellator before entering the UFC.
What year did McGregor win his first title?
McGregor won his first title in 2015, after scoring a second-round TKO on Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight belt.
Who did McGregor beat to win the lightweight title?
McGregor won his lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez to become the first UFC fighter in history to hold two titles simultaneously.
Where can I bet on the UFC?
There are many sportsbooks to choose from, like FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, Bet365, or Fanatics. Yet, we always advise to read reviews of the top sportsbooks before signing up.
