Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler to Serve as Coaches on ‘TUF 31’

“The Ultimate Fighter 31” figures to be one of the more intriguing seasons in recent memory.

UFC president Dana White on Saturday announced that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will serve as coaches on “TUF 31” before squaring off in the Octagon later this year. The series will premiere on May 30 via ESPN/ESPN+ and runs through Aug. 15. A date and venue for McGregor vs. Chandler was not confirmed.

McGregor will be making his second appearance on the long-running reality show after serving as a coach opposite Urijah Faber on “TUF 22” in 2015. The Dublin native hasn’t competed since July 10, 2021, when he broke his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. McGregor has lost three of his last four promotional appearances dating back to October 2018.

Chandler, who has openly campaigned for a fight against McGregor, is coming off a 1-1 campaign in 2022. After scoring a highlight-reel front kick knockout of Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, the ex-Bellator champ suffered a third-round submission loss to Poirier at UFC 281 this past November.

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