Conor McGregorA comeback has been set, as the former UFC doubles champion will train against the lightweight star Michael Chandler in the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter” before facing him in the Octagon.
UFC President Dana White announced McGregor and Chandler as coaches on social media on Saturday. No date or location has been announced for the McGregor-Chandler bout, which will likely take place in the 170-pound weight division.
The 31st season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which will air on ESPN and ESPN+, will run from May 30 to August 15.
McGregor, the coach of the 2015 reality series against Urijah Faber, has not competed since breaking his leg in a fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Chandler has been calling for a fight with McGregor for more than a year.
Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, McGregor (22-6) is the first fighter to hold two separate weight belts in the UFC. The Irish-born boxer holds the fastest record in UFC title history, knocking out 13 seconds. Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt in 2015, but the 34-year-old has lost two and three in a row in his last four fights.
Chandler (23-8) is a three-time former Bellator lightweight champion. The Missouri native arrives in the UFC as a free agent in 2021 and has faced off against some of the best fighters in the 155-pound division of the tournament. Chandler, 36, was about to lose to Poirier at UFC 281 in November and lost 3/4 with a Knockout of the Year win last May Tony Ferguson mixed in.
