Michael Chandler Still Believes Conor McGregor Fight Happens at Some Point in 2023

Conor McGregor has been in the public eye quite a bit recently, but so far there has been nothing to indicate that a date has been set for his fight with Michael Chandler.

“The Ultimate Fighter 31” is set to air this month, and viewers will be able to see how McGregor and Chandler interact as opposing coaches on the long-running reality show. The two are then expected to square off in the Octagon some time after the season concludes in August. Exactly when that is remains unknown. In the meantime, McGregor was seen facing off against Mike Perry at the conclusion of the BKFC 41 main event this past weekend. He was also in attendance for the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia boxing match one week prior.

While McGregor seems to be enjoying life, that has led to speculation that he won’t make it to his proposed bout with Chandler. The former Bellator lightweight champion discussed that possiblity during a recent interview with ESPN.

“I think he’s coming back,” Chandler said. “It sure would be a huge stain on his legacy, leading everybody down a road, making people think that he’s coming back, and then kind of chickening out at the very end and only doing it for the publicity. That, to me, screams insecurity, and he’s trying to stay relevant rather than seeing through your commitment.

“I could be very wrong about it, and if I am, I would be surprised and, quite frankly, disappointed, but also, I’m not going to sit here blowing up my manager, blowing up Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell], just calling them all the time, ‘Hey, when are we getting something done?’

“At this point, I’m believing we are going to fight later on this fall, maybe winter at the latest — and we’ll see what happens.”

Part of the speculation regarding McGregor centers on his re-entry into the USADA drug testing pool. There is usually a six-month period required when an athlete re-enters the pool, though McGregor recently indicated that he thought two clean tests would clear him to fight. There have been exceptions made by the UFC in the past, and Chandler wouldn’t be upset if that proves to be the case for McGregor.

“I could see it very well being just two clean tests,” Chandler said. “I have no problem with it being two clean tests. I could care less. If you do two clean tests, sounds to me like you’re clean. At this point, who am I to say what the stipulations are? I’m ready for him to be cleared or at least get that answer. At this point, we don’t have an answer.”