Conor McGregor’s return is still likely months away. However, when the time comes, UFC President Dana White is in favor of top-five lightweight Michael Chandler welcoming the Irishman back to the Octagon.
McGregor is still licking his wounds following his July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier. A fight that saw him handed a second straight technical knockout defeat to the American and ended abruptly when the former two-division champion fractured two bones in his right leg on a checked kick.
The industry assumption is that Conor McGregor should be ready to make his UFC return in the fall. And there has been a great deal of speculation about who his opponent could be. McGregor has pushed for title fights against either former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira or welterweight king Kamaru Usman. Both are highly unlikely.
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Dana White is all for a Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler clash in the fall
There have also been rumblings of a matchup with 170-pound star Jorge Masvidal after the two traded trash talk on social media earlier this month. After his recent win at UFC 274, Michael Chandler also called for a bout with McGregor next, and it seems that his boss Dana White likes that idea more so than a Mcgregor vs Masvidal clash.
“I don’t know. I really like Chandler vs. Conor after Chandler’s last fight,” White told TMZ Sports on Friday. “There’s plenty of fights to make. I don’t know if [Masvidal vs. McGregor] is the one, but we’ll see what the landscape looks like when Conor comes back … I’m just saying, after his last interview, his last fight, Conor is ranked No. 8, he’s ranked No. 5 — it makes a lot of sense right now.”
Due to his inactivity and losing three of his last four, McGregor is not on the Sportsnaut UFC lightweight rankings. However, like his spot on the official UFC 155-pound top-15, Chandler is ranked at five on our list as well.
Chandler made his Octagon debut in Jan. 2021 after a legendary run as a 3-time Bellator lightweight champion. He is 2-2 inside the Octagon with wins over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson, as well as the 2021 “Fight of the Year” on his resume.
On betting site DraftKings, Chandler is a -155 favorite in a hypothetical bout with the MMA superstar.