Highlights
- The highly-anticipated return of Conor McGregor is set for later this year against Michael Chandler.
- Ariel Helwani believes McGregor vs Chandler may happen in December, not September, due to financial factors regarding venue choices.
- The respectful rivalry between McGregor and Chandler took a verbal turn, showing frustrations with delays in their long-awaited fight.
One of the biggest talking points in the world of combat sports is the hotly-anticipated return to the UFC Octagon of Conor McGregor. The Irishman has not seen competitive action for three years, since breaking his leg at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. His scheduled return is currently pencilled in for later this year, we are led to believe, with his opponent set to be his rival coach on the latest season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, Michael Chandler.
The pair were set to clash at UFC 303, before McGregor pulled out, citing a toe injury as the reason. Despite this, he made an appearance in Dublin at a Bellator event, supporting his gym teammate Sinead Kavanagh as she took on Arlene Blencowe. While there, he claimed he would ‘walk in there 100 percent Conor McGregor, injury free. Perfection is on the menu with me.’
When Will Conor McGregor Return
He also said he would be ready to go in August, but UFC chief Dana White played this down, insisting the UFC schedule is already sorted out.
“Our schedule for August and September is laid out,” White said. “I’m not doing anything until I know that Conor is healthy. It’s not even worth talking about.”
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Respected journalist Ariel Helwani claims that he wouldn’t bet on McGregor vs Chandler happening until December, while adding that he believes the Sphere, in Las Vegas, will be the setting for Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili in September for Noche UFC.
Ariel Helwani’s Update on Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler
“At this point, if I had to put money on Conor vs Chandler, if I had to, and this is not me reporting it, so don’t go crazy. But the way the wind is blowing at this juncture, it seems to be December. I don’t think they are going to create a date. If I had to, this second. And then, like I said.”
Chandler claimed earlier this week that the bout with McGregor would happen in September, with the 14th at the Sphere being the site for UFC 306. A fan commented on X that the fight would happen, with Chandler posting a caption of the statement with the headline: “Loading,,,,”
However, Helwani believes that the fight will not happen in September, with money being a key factor. He then added that the Sphere would be the most likely setting for O’Malley vs Dvalishvili, with Utah also under consideration.
“There will be no chance Conor and Chandler will fight at the Sphere, it’s just too expensive, and Conor commands too much money.”
Conor McGregor & Michael Chandler’s Rivalry
The rivalry between Chandler and McGregor has mostly been respectful, but as the wait goes on, Chandler couldn’t help but take a verbal jab at his rival over his appearance in Dublin. He posted on X: “Speaking of showing up to events… glad you finally made it to the 3Arena where the press conference was supposed to be June 3rd. Sweet slippers. Who’s the Bellator tick now?”
The ‘Bellator Tick’ jibe is a reference to a face-off between the pair in the Octagon for The Ultimate Fighter, when McGregor referred to Chandler as ‘ye little Bellator tick’ with two crying face emojis.
It has been a long and frustrating wait for both McGregor and Chandler for this fight to happen, not to mention the army of UFC fans who, regardless of their opinion of ‘The Notorious One’, just want to see him back competing after his injury setbacks.
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