Dana White Shares Latest Update On Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler

Dana White recently discussed the highly-awaited Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler bout and shared an update on its development. The UFC CEO is of the opinion that the Irishman will be ready to make his return next year. However, if Chandler gets impatient and wants a tune-up fight, the promotion can figure something out for him. 

Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest superstar in MMA and has achieved unprecedented levels of success in the sport. However, the past few years have not been kind to the Irishman. McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. His reluctance to enter the USADA testing pool has also prevented him from returning to action this year. 

After intensive physical rehabilitation, Conor McGregor returned to the spotlight as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31. As expected, his rival coach was none other than Michael Chandler. Given their pre-existing rivalry, they were highly expected to fight each other after the TUF 31 season concluded. However, it seems those plans are currently in limbo.

During a recent post-fight press conference after Dana White’s Contender Series 64, the UFC frontman was asked to share some updates on Conor McGregor’s return and Michael Chandler’s next fight. The UFC boss nonchalantly replied that he expected McGregor to fight Chandler next year. 

Iterating that he’s been saying that for the past few months now, White also added that Chandler is currently happy to spend some quality time with his family and doesn’t need to compete immediately. However, he strongly implied that ‘Iron’ will want to wait for his big-money fight against McGregor. 

Meanwhile, Dana White has announced all the pay-per-view events for the year 2023, and while ‘The Notorious’ features in none, there are plenty of action-packed bangers for fans to enjoy through the end of the year.