McGregor, Chandler to serve as TUF 31 coaches, will fight later in year

Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images

Conor McGregor is apparently set to resume his career in the UFC. Conor McGregor is back. Or he will be in May, anyway.
That doesn’t mean he’ll be in the Octagon righ…


Bellator 275
Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images

Conor McGregor is apparently set to resume his career in the UFC.

Conor McGregor is back. Or he will be in May, anyway.

That doesn’t mean he’ll be in the Octagon right away. But in a live social media video this morning, UFC president Dana White confirmed that McGregor will coach one team on The Ultimate Fighter 31. The other coach? Former Bellator champ and UFC title contender Michael Chandler.

The show will run from May 30th to August 15th on ESPN and ESPN+, and then the two men will fight on PPV later in the year, according to Dana.

McGregor (22-6, 10-4 UFC), a former two-division UFC champion, hasn’t competed since a doctor stoppage loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021 where he suffered a bad leg injury. He has been rehabbing it ever since and staying in the spotlight with his usual social media banter and brushes with the law.

McGregor has been on TUF before, coaching a team on The Ultimate Fighter 22 against Urijah Faber.

Chandler (23-8, 2-3 UFC) is also coming off a loss to Poirier in November. He has been rallying for an opportunity against Conor for a while, and now he has it.

Chandler has posted a YouTube video reacting to the announcement: