Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler: ‘The Notorious’ Teases Comeback Fight Against ‘Iron’ At UFC 296
Conor McGregor recently dropped a major hint for his highly anticipated return to action this year. McGregor has been on the sidelines since his ill-fated fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Irishman suffered a nasty leg fracture during the fight and was forced to undergo extensive surgery and physical rehabilitation. However, after over two years away from the octagon, the former two-division champion seems ready to return. Earlier this year, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler were roped in as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 31. After the show concluded, the two explosive strikers were expected to face off in the octagon. However, McGregor’s reluctance to fulfill USADA’s drug-testing requirements has proven to be a significant hurdle to that matchup. However, ‘The Notorious’ recently took to Twitter to share a screenshot from the UFC Fight Pass website, showing that he’s booked to headline UFC 296 on December 16 against Chandler. While the page doesn’t appear on the webpage, McGregor wasted no time sending his fans into a frenzy in anticipation of his return. The UFC hasn’t made any official statement regarding McGregor’s tweet so far. Given the Irishman’s difficult situation with the USADA, fans will likely have to wait longer for an official announcement from the promotion. Also Read: https://combatsports247.com/conor-mcgregor-issues-warning-to-michael-chandler-seemingly-confirming-his-return-to-the-octagon-against-iron/ Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler: ‘Iron’ Opens Up About Welcoming ‘The Notorious’ Back To Action Michael Chandler recently discussed his highly anticipated matchup against Conor McGregor. As mentioned, McGregor has been away from the octagon for more than two years due to injury. Earlier this year, the Irishman returned to the spotlight as a coach on TUF 31. After the conclusion of the show, many were eager to know when they would clash in the cage. However, McGregor seemed to lose interest in ‘Iron’ as his comeback opponent and called for fights against Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Nate Diaz, and Floyd Mayweather. While many wondered if Chandler was off McGregor’s hit list, the former Bellator lightweight champion recently cleared the air and assured fans they’d see him fight the Irishman. At a UFC 292 press conference, ‘Iron’ expressed his optimism about being the one to welcome Conor McGregor back. He said: “I can fight him tomorrow… I think every single day, everything changes with time and circumstance… And I haven’t really thought about a deadline. I’ve got a loose deadline in my head that I’m not going to share with you, but we’ll flirt with that whenever we figure it out.” Watch the full video below:
Conor McGregor issues warning to Michael Chandler seemingly confirming his return to the octagon against ‘Iron’
Conor McGregor is seemingly raring to make his long-awaited return to action. The Irishman recently issued an ominous warning to the former Bellator lightweight champion and promised to destroy Chandler in the cage. McGregor has been on the sidelines since July 2021, when he fractured his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. After surgery and extensive physical rehabilitation, ‘The Notorious’ is ready to compete again. Earlier this year, it was announced that McGregor would make his return after more than two years against Chandler. The two explosive strikers also went up against each other as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter season 31. While many questioned whether Conor McGregor could replicate his pre-injury form, the Irishman recently clarified that he’s fully recovered and chomping at the bits to fight again. In a recent tweet, McGregor claimed he has “steel” in his limbs and wrote: “I’ve industrial steel in my leg now, and I’ve long natural steel in the shoulders and elbows and knuckles of the fist. I’m over 3/4 steel. And steel crushes iron. Crushes the little bones in ‘Iron’s face. Out with the iron you little Bosu ball motivational speakin’ handbag.” Canelo Alvarez on a potential boxing match against Conor McGregor Canelo Alvarez recently weighed in on a potential fight against Conor McGregor and addressed callouts from the Irishman. The 168-pound undisputed boxing champion is undoubtedly among the greatest pugilists of our time and has one of the most incredible resumes in the sport. The Mexican star is currently slated to face undisputed light middleweight champion Jermell Charlo next month. Ahead of their fight, the two undisputed boxing champions held their first press conference. During the event, Alvarez was asked about fighting Conor McGregor in the future. Dismissing any possibility of that matchup taking place anytime soon, Canelo Alvarez said: “He’s crazy. Conor? Yeah, maybe after I retire.” Watch the video below: While Canelo Alvarez is a 63-fight veteran of the sport, Conor McGregor has competed in the boxing ring once. The Irishman’s sole outing came against Floyd Mayweather, a historic bout in its own right, where he lost via tenth-round TKO. While it’s highly unlikely that the two combat sports superstars go up against each other in the boxing ring anytime soon, stranger things have happened in the world of combat sports. Meanwhile, McGregor is expected to face Michael Chandler before the year ends.
Conor McGregor lays out next three fights -“Chandler next, December… Gaethje BMF, and then Nate!”
It seems Conor McGregor will make his highly awaited return to action before the year ends. The Irishman recently claimed he has three massive fights in mind when he returns and will enter the UFC octagon in December. McGregor has been on the sidelines since suffering a leg fracture during his fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. After more than a year of physical rehabilitation and recovery, the former two-division champion is ready to return. However, his absence from the USADA testing pool is a major hurdle to his plans. While hasn’t fought in the octagon, Conor McGregor returned to the UFC as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler. And that’s who he’ll be fighting first. While Chandler was always expected to welcome McGregor back to active competition, the Irishman has been teasing alternative opponents. In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Conor McGregor finally confirmed that he’ll be fighting Michael Chandler first on his return. He then claimed he’ll challenge Justin Gaethje for the BMF title before completing his trilogy fight against Nate Diaz. He said: “December, Chandler, I have to do it. I’ve just got to grab him by the chest…That’s what I’ve got to do… Chandler next in December and then Gaethje, BMF and then we’ll do the Nate trilogy.” Conor McGregor to train Dillon Danis for Logan Paul fight Conor Mcgregor recently revealed that he will be training Dillon Danis for his upcoming boxing match against Logan Paul. Opening up on Danis’ highly anticipated return to combat sports, ‘The Notorious’ also expressed his confidence about Danis beating Paul. Danis and Paul are set to face each other in the squared circle on October 14 at the Misfits x DAZN: The Prime Card in Manchester, England. Their bout will be part of a unique “double main event” with KSI vs. Tommy Fury as the other headliner. During a media interaction at the Anthony Joshua vs. Robert Helenius boxing event at The O2 last weekend, McGregor said: “Dillon will win for sure. They’re already backtracking right now. They woke an animal. I know Dillon for years and I’ve trained with him many times. I’m guiding him. I’m gonna train him for this and I guarantee a win. So, I hope the lad [Logan Paul] shows up. He tried to pull a bill on us if we don’t show up… We’re gonna come at him with a bill if he don’t show up.”
Conor McGregor claims UFC isn’t interested in Michael Chandler matchup, ‘Iron’ responds
The highly anticipated Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler bout may be in jeopardy. The Irishman recently claimed that the UFC wasn’t keen on making their matchup a reality and have other plans for his long-awaited return. McGregor has been away from the octagon since July 2021, recuperating from a nasty leg fracture he suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Earlier this year, the promotion roped him in to coach on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler. After the season concludes, the two explosive strikers are expected to face off in the cage. While many looked forward to Conor McGregor returning to action against an opponent as dynamic as Chandler, the Irishman has been dismissive of their anticipated matchup of late. Over the past two weeks, Mcgregor has called out Justin Gaethje, Nate Diaz, Charles Oliveira, and even Floyd Mayweather. In a now-deleted tweet, Conor McGregor surprisingly claimed that the UFC wasn’t interested in making the Michael Chandler fight. He wrote: “I’ll do it if they want, no prob. I don’t think they want him no more tho. There’s loads of juicy fights around, and my return date is my return date. I never gave a f**k about who it was. Ever. I’ll fight anyone. I’ll even fly them to me, ask [Paul] Malinaggi. Flown in and bet around.” Michael Chandler responds to Conor McGregor dismissing their fight Michael Chandler recently reacted to Conor McGregor’s latest tweet dismissing their anticipated bout. While ‘The Notorious’ confidently claimed the UFC wasn’t keen on it, ‘Iron’ is confident the fight will materialize. It’s no surprise that Chandler has been looking forward to facing McGregor in the cage. Given their striking pedigrees, it’s safe to assume a meeting between them will guarantee fireworks in the cage. However, the UFC has issued no official confirmation about the fight. Nevertheless, the former Bellator lightweight champion is confident their fight will go through. Implying that the Irishman wasn’t telling the whole truth, Chandler tweeted: “This dude… I remember when his words held an immense amount of weight. Just tell the truth.” In a follow-up tweet, ‘Iron’ predicted a second-round knockout victory in their bout. He wrote: “Second round KO. Break his will in the first. Finish in the second.” While Conor McGregor is expected to make his return to action this year, his reluctance to enter the USADA testing pool has made things difficult. It remains to be seen when and against whom the former two-division champion returns.
Conor McGregor reacts to Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul boxing bout, calls for trilogy with former foe
Conor McGregor wasn’t impressed by Nate Diaz’s performance against Jake Paul. The Irishman recently reacted to the Stockton native’s boxing debut and called for a trilogy fight against his former rival. Diaz fought ‘The Problem Child’ in a ten-round boxing match at the American Airlines Center last weekend. In the fight, Diaz put his legendary gas tank and durability on display and relentlessly applied pressure on the YouTuber-turned-boxer. However, Paul cruised to a unanimous decision victory and even managed to knock Diaz down in the fifth round. Soon after the fight concluded, Conor McGregor took to Twitter and expressed his thoughts on the match. Lambasting his former rival for not getting the win, he wrote: “I gonna serve up your liver on a sandwich in the trilogy m8. Out straight. I won’t even hit your face. That was abysmal last night.” ‘The Notorious’ continued to viciously attack ‘The Problem Child’ and wrote: “Paul is a r*tard. Absolute garbage he is. Moving backward like I was watching a fight in rewind. Holy garbage. Embarrassing stuff all around IMO.” Jorge Masvidal wants to fight Conor McGregor outside the octagon Jorge Masvidal recently sounded off on Conor McGregor and claimed he’s ready to fight the Irishman on the streets. The former BMF champion retired after a unanimous decision loss against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in April. The loss marked his fourth consecutive defeat in the octagon. While the 38-year-old has previously exchanged harsh words with McGregor, their fight never materialized. However, both have expressed an eagerness to face each other at some point in their careers. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, ‘Gamebred’ addressed a potential fight against Conor McGregor and said: “Really I would like to fight Conor because he’s such a bi**h. I can’t stand that dude. But him on the street for free, ’cause he’ll never fight me in the ring. He never mentions my f**king name in a comment… Calling out Dustin [Poirier] and Justin [Gaethje]. Shut the f**k up, and do the due process. You f**king bi**h!” Conor McGregor hasn’t competed since suffering a leg fracture against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He is currently coaching on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler and the two are expected to fight in the octagon after the show concludes. Watch the full video below:
Justin Gaethje’s manager reveals stipulations that Conor McGregor must meet for a possible BMF bout
Ali Abdelaziz has outlined the conditions Conor McGregor would have to meet if he wants to fight Justin Gaethje. The famed MMA manager, who handles high-profile clients like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Henry Cejudo, recently addressed McGregor’s callout of Gaethje and warned the Irishman of dire consequences if he stepped into the octagon opposite the new BMF champion. After Gaethje’s impressive second-round knockout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 290, McGregor wasted no time calling him out. ‘The Notorious’ took to Twitter to launch a vicious tirade against ‘The Highlight’ and challenged his new BMF status. While Gaethje made it clear he wasn’t interested, they later exchanged tweets indicating that a fight between them was possible. In a recent interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Ali Abdelaziz revealed that Conor McGregor would need to make the lightweight limit without using PEDs for Justin Gaethje to accept the fight. He said: “This guy is a hype man, he’s not even a fighter… He’s almost 200 pounds… If Trevor Whitman’s ok and Justin Gaethje’s ok, and this guy wants to end his career… He can get it. As long as he can make 155 [pounds] and pass multiple USADA drug tests, he can get it.” Catch Abdelaziz’s comments below (4:00): Michael Chandler, on Conor McGregor calling Justin Gaethje out; addresses whether their fight is in jeopardy Michael Chandler isn’t worried about Conor McGregor forgetting about their matchup. The former Bellator lightweight champion recently addressed rumors about McGregor looking to make a return against Justin Gaethje instead of him. Earlier this year, McGregor and Chandler were roped in as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). The two explosive strikers are highly expected to fight each other after the season concludes. However, Conor McGregor may have other plans in mind. As mentioned above, ‘The Notorious’ seems to have turned his attention to fighting Justin Gaethje instead. However, Michael Chandler isn’t concerned about losing the big money fight. In an interview with ESPN, he claimed Conor McGregor succumbed to “recency bias” and is confident their fight will happen. He said: “Everyone has a short-term memory and we all succumb to recency bias… Next week, there’s going to be another guy that has a great showing at any weight class and they’re going to want to see Conor fight him. Conor’s going to get his little Twitter fingers going on the weekends every single time there’s a fight and insert himself into the conversation, but I’m not really that worried about it. I believe the fight is happening.” Watch the full video below:
Top 10 Biggest Fights in UFC History
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has witnessed numerous epic battles that captured the attention of millions of fans worldwide. Here are the top 10 highest pay-per-view (PPV) selling fights in UFC history, featuring some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts.
Conor McGregor wants Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg in the UFC
Conor McGregor recently shared his two cents on the highly anticipated Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg super fight. Given that ‘The Notorious’ is undoubtedly the biggest superstar in mixed martial arts, thanks to the UFC, it’s unsurprising that the Irishman wants the two tech billionaires to brawl in the famed promotion. While the Tesla and Meta Platforms CEOs were always considered rivals within the tech industry, they are keen to take their competitiveness to the MMA cage. After engaging in some light banter on social media last month, Musk and Zuckerberg agreed to fight each other and seemingly roped UFC president Dana White in to make it happen. White later confirmed that the fight was “very real.” While fight fans are undeniably hyped to see the Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight, Conor McGregor recently claimed that the event must take place under the UFC banner. In an exclusive Daily Mail news-byte, the Irishman said: “I’m interested. Are they gonna go ahead with it? Are they gonna make it happen? If it happens under the UFC banner, I’m with it. It has to happen under the UFC banner.” He further added: “I’d do a bit of work with them. I hope they go ahead with it. Their pockets might be large, but is the talk cheap? They said it. Are they gonna do it now? I’m excited to see how it unfolds.” Jake Paul sees Nate Diaz fight as a stepping stone toward Conor McGregor clash While Conor McGregor has rebuffed every fight callout by Jake Paul, ‘The Problem Child’ is unwilling to give up. It’s no secret that McGregor and Paul share an extremely contentious relationship and have traded barbs on several occasions. Jake Paul is set to face McGregor’s former rival Nate Diaz in the boxing ring on August 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. While the 26-year-old is undoubtedly looking forward to settling his differences with the Stockton slugger, he’s already looking ahead to a potential Conor McGregor fight. In an interview with talkSPORT, Paul outlined his plans to get McGregor to fight him next and claimed: “When I knock out Nate Diaz, I think Conor McGregor’s going to see me, want a payday, and come and get knocked out… I told everybody that I would fight Conor in any form of fight because he, in my opinion, is that sh*t. I’ll do MMA, I’m not afraid to step in there.” Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is expected to face Michael Chandler in the octagon sometime later this year. The two are currently featured on The Ultimate Fighter as coaches, with Chandler 7-0 up so far.
Michael Chandler celebrates seventh consecutive victory against Conor McGregor’s team on TUF – “seven and ohhhhh…”
Conor McGregor’s second coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) isn’t going as he hoped. The Irishman is coaching TUF 31 opposite Michael Chandler this year and is now 0-7 against his rival coach. McGregor is tutoring a team of lightweight and bantamweight prospects, whereas Chandler is coaching a team of UFC veterans in the 31st installment of TUF. In the latest episode of the UFC’s hit reality show, veteran fighter Jason Knight helped ‘Iron’ get another win over the Irishman. Knight faced team McGregor’s Landon Quinones in the penultimate quarterfinal fight of the season. The UFC veteran managed to submit his opponent with a triangle choke less than a minute into the bout. Following his team going 7-0 up against McGregor’s team, Michael Chandler was undoubtedly over the moon and took to social media to let everyone know. Given how much Conor McGregor trash-talked Chandler since the show’s beginning, it’s unsurprising that ‘Iron’ decided to rub it in his competitor’s face. He tweeted: “Seven and Ohhhhhh… #tuf31.” In the next episode of TUF 31, UFC veteran Hunter Azure will go up against team McGregor’s Rico DiSciullo. It remains to be seen if Michael Chandler manages to sweep Conor McGregor with a clean 8-0 result. Michael Chandler defends Conor McGregor amidst allegations that the Irishman was an absentee coach While Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are rarely seen sharing kind words, ‘Iron’ recently rushed to the Irishman’s defense after he was accused of not showing up for his teammates. It is no secret that McGregor has had a dismal run as a coach on TUF 31. ‘The Notorious’ has gone 0-7 against his rival coach and is in danger of being the first coach to see his team lose all eight fights. To make matters worse, fans of the show have noticed his absence from important occasions like weigh-ins and face-offs. As a result, the Irishman has been brutally slammed on social media and continues to be criticized for his coaching. While many are blaming Conor McGregor for his team’s less-than-impressive performances, Michael Chandler recently came to his defense. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Chandler blamed editing for showing McGregor in a bad light and said: “Ultimately, he was there in the training sessions, they are showing a lot of him training with his guys. I think they definitely could be filtering it a little more… I know I was there, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there for his guys. He was in every training session, he was training with his guys. It is reality TV, it can be cut any way they want.”
Conor McGregor claims he will compete for the BMF title on his return in a confusing Twitter post
It seems Conor McGregor has his eyes on the UFC’s infamous black and silver ‘BMF’ belt. The Irishman recently insinuated that he wants the ‘Baddest Motherf**ker’ title and took to social media to call out the next contenders for the special one-of-a-kind honor. The BMF title was something that came out of Nate Diaz calling Jorge Masvidal out after his spectacular victory over Anthony Pettis at UFC 241. The Stockton slugger boldly proclaimed himself the “baddest motherf**ker in the game” and wanted to prove it by facing ‘Gamebred’ in the cage. Masvidal ultimately beat Diaz in a welterweight contest to take the symbolic belt home and held it till his retirement in April. With Justin Gaethje set to go up against Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 for the now-vacant BMF title, Conor McGregor recently fired shots at both top-ranked lightweights and named himself Masvidal’s successor. Claiming that the title was meant for him, he tweeted: “And don’t think for one second that the BMF belt isn’t being lined up specifically for the Mac Dad. Little one-division twerps.” Ariel Helwani on the one obstacle that could prevent Conor McGregor from returning. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani recently offered his two cents on Conor McGregor potentially returning to action this year. ‘The Notorious’ has been away from the octagon for two years due to suffering a nasty leg fracture during his last fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. After an extended period of recovery, he made his return as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler this year. The two coaches were highly expected to throw down in the octagon sometime later this year, but there has been no progress on that end so far. However, Ariel Helwani believes the Irishman wants to return and put on a show for his fans. In a recent interview with Daily Star, the MMA journalist claimed that the only problem with McGregor returning is time and stated: “I think we’ll see him come back. I think he wants to come back, and I think by this time next year, he will have already, it’s just a matter of where he fits in… Father Time is undefeated, as they say, and it’s hard as you grow older, and you have those long lay-offs, to get back. I think the fires there, the question is like, is he gonna train as much and all that?” In a previous interview, Conor McGregor told Ariel Helwani that he’s certain that his fight against Michael Chandler will happen this year, and mentioned December as the most probable month.