UFC CEO Dana White remains noncommittal to Conor McGregor fighting Michael Chandler: “We’ll see”

UFC CEO Dana White remains noncommittal to Conor McGregor fighting Michael Chandler in his Octagon return.

McGregor (22-6 MMA) and Chandler (23-8 MMA) served as opposing coaches on Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter in the Spring of 2023. The original plan was to have the pair fight at December’s UFC 296 event, but the bout was ultimately pushed back due to various reasons.

‘Notorious’ and ‘Iron’ were then rumored to collide at April’s historic UFC 300 event, however that plan also failed to come to fruition and now it remains unclear if Conor McGregor will end up fighting Michael Chandler at all.

In a recent interview with Sportsnet, UFC CEO Dana White was asked if McGregor’s highly anticipated return was finally set in stone for June, which the Irishman recently claimed.

“So, McGregor will be back this year, possibly him and Chandler,” White explained to Aaron Bronsteter. “We’ll see how this whole thing plays out.”

Conor McGregor has not competed in MMA since July of 2021 at UFC 264, where he suffered a broken leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier. ‘Mystic Mac’ has gone just 1-3 over his past four Octagon appearances, with his lone win in that time coming against UFC Hall of Famer Donald ‘Cowboy‘ Cerrone.

Meanwhile, Michael Chandler has gone just 2-3 since joining the UFC ranks. The former Bellator lightweight champion started his UFC tenure by finishing Dan Hooker in the very first round at UFC 257. However, since his emphatic debut, ‘Iron’ has gone just 1-3, this while suffering losses to Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.

Are you surprised that Dana White remains noncommittal to Conor McGregor fighting Michael Chandler in his UFC return? Who would you like to see ‘Notorious’ face next?