Conor McGregor will return to Octagon vs Michael Chandler after they coach ‘TUF 31’

Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon is lastly set, UFC president Dana White introduced Saturday.

The 34-year-old will coach the thirty first season of “The Final Fighter” in opposition to former three-time Bellator light-weight champion Michael Chandler. On the finish of the season, the 2 will battle reside, although the small print have but to be finalized. “I shouldn’t have a date or location for that, however we are going to announce it quickly,” White mentioned.

The present will air on ESPN and ESPN+ from Might 30 to Aug, 15, so followers can tentatively anticipate to see the conflict within the Fall. McGregor, coached on the truth sequence in 2015 in opposition to Urijah Faber.

He has not competed in a battle since he broke his leg in a matchup with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

The previous UFC light-weight and featherweight champion fielded many calls again to the Octagon from former foes like boxer Floyd Mayweather, who mentioned in Sept. 2022 {that a} rematch would happen this 12 months. Chandler has been asking for the ticket for even longer.

Two years older than McGregor (22-6), Chandler (23-8) can be coming off a loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November.

McGregor was the primary fighter to carry two separate weight division titles in UFC concurrently and drew consideration for gaining some weight in his hiatus. In November, some eyebrows had been raised when he shared that he could be “clear for testing in February,” seemingly bypassing the required six months of testing pool availability.

This story can be up to date.