Conor McGregor’s manager has revealed that he and the team tried their best to book McGregor vs. Michael Chandler as the Irishman’s return bout. However, the UFC is no longer interested in this fight currently.
McGregor is now going to run it back with Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11. The bout will be a five-round welterweight clash.
Chandler, on the other hand, gets to be a part of the once-in-a-lifetime White House card and will be locking horns with Brazilian knockout artist Mauricio Ruffy on June 14.
Conor McGregor’s manager tells fans not to lose hope as “The Notorious” vs. “Iron” can still happen
During an interview with MMA Junkie, Conor McGregor’s manager, Audie Attar, said the Dubliner felt Michael Chandler deserved the fight after waiting so long, especially considering everything that happened in 2024.
However, the UFC was no longer interested in the matchup, and in the meantime, Max Holloway was game to fight McGregor at welterweight right away.
During the same interview, Attar added that fans can still hope to see Chandler and McGregor throw down. He said:
“Conor really wanted to give that to Michael Chandler. He just felt Michael deserved it, having gone through the show and experienced that camp, the unfortunate injury, and the cancellation of the bout. Conor really, really wanted that to happen, and we did everything to try to push it. At the time, it just didn’t make sense for the UFC, but it doesn’t mean that it might not happen in the future. Michael has a great fight ahead of him at the White House, and we wish him the best. We want him to succeed. It can become a reality.”
Audie Attar added:
“We pushed for Chandler. That was our main focus initially. Different names surfaced in the conversations and in the negotiations, and I think from a Max Holloway perspective, we know we got one on Max, and he wants to get that back. We know they faced each other when they were 145ers, and we know that Max is game and he’s going to put on a great performance. We just felt it was the right matchup. One of the things, obviously, with being out for the time Conor has been out for, it just made sense to do it at 170, right? Max was game right away and willing to step up and take the matchup at 170.” [h/t: MMA Junkie]
Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor served as opposing head coaches on TUF 31, and in 2024, they were going to lock horns in the main event of UFC 303 until a toe injury forced “The Notorious” to withdraw.
In the next few years, “Iron” lost two bouts back-to-back. McGregor, on the other hand, has remained out of action for nearly 5 years, and this July, he will finally return to the octagon to face “Blessed” as mentioned above.
Before the White House fights were announced, both Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler had repeatedly said they would fight each other on the South Lawn on June 14, but Dana White and Hunter Campbell had other plans.
