The one-time UFC title challenger got his wish to fight Conor McGregor, but it’ll have to wait until after they coach The Ultimate Fighter.
Michael Chandler is excited to coach The Ultimate Fighter against Conor McGregor.
UFC president Dana White announced on Saturday that Season 31 of TUF will feature McGregor and Chandler as the opposing coaches. Once the season ends, they are expected to fight at a pay-per-view event near the end of the year.
TUF 31 will air on both ESPN and ESPN+ from May 30 to August 15, with new episodes released on Tuesdays.
Considering this is the fight he has clamored for since his arrival to the promotion two years ago, Chandler was ‘pumped’ for the opportunity.
Pumped is an understatement. #TUF31 #TUF #mcgregorvschandler pic.twitter.com/lzeyBCEZmn
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 4, 2023
“It’s finally announced,” said Chandler in response to the TUF announcement. “The cat is out the bag. Team Chandler versus Team McGregor, coaching The Ultimate Fighter. [I’m] heading to Vegas soon to film in the same vicinity, the same city as my future opponent later on this year, Conor McGregor. My team versus his team.
“The competition starts right now, ushering in these young men or women, imparting my wisdom upon them, and every single fight matters because I’m going to win this competition first of all,” continued Chandler. “And we are going to make the dreams come true of one of these young athletes to get signed by the UFC and get a UFC contract. I can’t wait. Catch it all on ESPN this summer. God bless. I’ll see you at the top.”
The former three-time Bellator champion is 1-3 in his past four appearances. After back-to-back losses to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, Chandler delivered a 2022 ‘Knockout of the Year’ contender with a front kick KO of Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 this past May. In his next appearance, the Kill Cliff FC product was submitted by Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November.
McGregor has yet to return to the Octagon after suffering a broken leg in his third fight against the aforementioned Poirier. Like his upcoming opponent, the ‘Notorious’ one has one win in his current UFC run, which came against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)