It looks like Conor McGregor will be coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) after all.
On Saturday, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White returned for another special announcement from Las Vegas to share some breaking fights news (watch HERE). After reviewing some upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) cards White confirmed that Season 31 of TUF will be coached by none other than McGregor and fellow lightweight contender Michael Chandler.
Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor have been named coaches of The Ultimate Fighter
They will face off in the octagon at the end of the season pic.twitter.com/owH5OkjTV3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 4, 2023
More importantly, White also confirmed that “Notorious” and Chandler will fight one another when the TUF season concludes. The TUF season will run from May 30 to August 15. White was unable to confirm a date or location for McGregor vs. Chandler, but fight fans finally know who McGregor is going to meet in his long-awaited return to the Octagon.
McGregor, who has been calling for a return at 170 pounds, has been sidelined since his second-straight TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in 2021. “Notorious” has been nursing a badly broken leg since then while dedicating the rest of his time to Hollywood movies and valuable yacht time. Fight fans don’t know what to expect from “Notorious” when he steps back inside of the Octagon since he’s fought just three times since his infamous loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2018.
Chandler, on the other hand, has been incredibly active since his UFC debut in 2021. The 36-year-old veteran has only produced a 2-3 record along the way but he’s been involved in some of the greatest fights of the past two years. This includes his infamous knockout win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274. Chandler has been calling for a matchup with McGregor dating back to his days in Bellator MMA so this is a well-deserved opportunity for the lightweight contender.
Stick with Mania for more news on TUF 31 and McGregor vs. Chandler.