Conor McGregor Next Fight: When does He Fight Michael Chandler?
Conor McGregor has always been a big draw for the UFC. He is also one of the most lethal fighters with several first-round victories. But, it’s almost 2 years since MMA fans saw Conor McGregor inside the octagon. The former two-division UFC champion hasn’t registered any victory in the last three years.
After taking some time to recover from his injury, The Notorious One has transformed his physique and might even bump up to welterweight once again. McGregor was recently named as one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 31. So, who will Conor McGregor fight next after fulfilling his role as an MMA coach? When will his next fight take place?
Conor McGregor Next Fight
Conor McGregor’s next fight will be against none other than Michael Chandler. The pair are the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 31. UFC President Dana White himself confirmed that these two coaches would collide inside the octagon after the completion of TUF 31.
Conor McGregor hasn’t stepped inside the octagon after breaking his leg during a fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Before that, he lost to Poirier via a second-round TKO. Coincidently, Michael Chandler is also coming off a third-round submission loss against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281.
Michael Chandler has been calling out Conor McGregor for quite a while now. He currently sits at the #5 spot in the UFC lightweight rankings, whereas Conor McGregor is not ranked after almost two years of inactivity. Chandler is a three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion whereas McGregor is a two-division UFC Champion(feather and light). However, this fight is expected to take place at welterweight(170 lbs).
Conor McGregor Next Fight Date & Venue
Dana White didn’t confirm any date for Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler. He simply stated that the fight would take place by the end of this year. However, Conor is not enrolled with USADA until May. He will need to undergo six months of drug testing with at least two negative tests. Even if Conor enrolls for USADA testing now, he cannot fight until November 2023.
Realistic UFC events for Conor McGregor to feature would be in November and December. UFC traditionally holds a PPV at Madison Square Garden in November and a PPV at T-Mobile Arena in December. All two PPVs are big enough for Conor to headline. It will depend upon his situation with USADA and UFC’s plans to determine which event he ends up on. Conor teased an announcement soon during his interview with TMZ.
Conor McGregor Current UFC Record
Conor McGregor’s current MMA record stands at 22-6. In UFC, he has a record of 10-4. His most famous victory includes a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo to win UFC Featherweight Championship, a win over Nate Diaz and winning UFC Lightweight Championship by beating Eddie Alvarez. Only 3 fighters that have beaten McGregor so far in UFC include Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. Poirier is the only fighter to beat McGregor twice at UFC 257 and UFC 264.
