Former undisputed UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, Conor McGregor will officially return as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31 with the reality television show set to begin at the end of May – with the Dubliner coaching against the #5 ranked lightweight contender, Michael Chandler, ahead of an eventual fight between the two.
Earlier this month, reports emerged detailing how McGregor, 34, would be returning to the Octagon as part of The Ultimate Fighter 31 in a coaching capacity, ahead of making his official UFC comeback later this year.
Conor McGregor is slated to coach on TUF against lightweight veteran, Michael Chandler
And as per promotional president, Dana White, Cono McGregor will now coach the return of The Ultimate Fighter, taking on Michael Chandler, a former lightweight title challenger at the culmination of the season. An official date, location, or event for McGregor’s fight Chandler has yet to be announced by the organization.
Most recently competing at UFC 264 back in July of 2021, McGregor headlined against former interim champion, Dustin Poirier, suffering a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss after he fractured his left tibia and fibula. The loss came as Conor McGregor’s second consecutively against Louisana native, Poirier, after he suffered a second round KO loss to the latter in January of that year on ‘Fight Island’.
As for Chandler, the current #5 ranked challenger has yet to book his Octagon return since featuring on the main card of UFC 281 back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden. Again tackling common-foe, Poirier, Chandler, a former three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion suffered an eventual third round rear-naked choke submission loss.
Without a victory since a January 2020 40-second high-kick and strikes knockout win over Donald Cerrone, Conor McGregor coached The Ultimate Fighter back in 2015 following his interim featherweight title win over Chad Mendes, coaching opposite former WEC featherweight champion, Urijah Faber.