countdown to
#TUF31 Begins !!! ⏱[
#TUF31 Premieres Tue. May 30 on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/QpdIYGMySZ– The Ultimate Fighter (Ultimate Fighter)
April 30, 2023
With Conor McGregor continuing to delay his entry into USAID’s drug testing pool, there has been some concern in recent weeks that his relationship with Michael Chandler will not actually happen.
According to UFC President Dana White, an announcement of the fight will occur during the broadcast of “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” which features McGregor and Chandler as opposing coaches and premieres on May 30.
“That’s right,” White said at a post-fight news conference at UFC Fight Night 223 on Saturday night. “There is a fight. It is [McGregor]
He has to get into the USADA pool first. He fills in the papers. I don’t know when that will be done or what’s going on, but that’s his business, his dealings with USADA. But everything is in motion.”
USADA normally requires athletes to be in a drug testing pool for six months upon return, and it’s unclear if McGregor will be granted a special exception. However, the UFC appears to be targeting McGregor vs. Chandler at the end of the year, which likely means sticking to normal USADA protocol. White hinted at blockbuster UFC fights in November and December, one of which could potentially include a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Musick. The other will be McGregor’s first appearance in the Octagon since July 2021.
“That’s what we’re aiming for,” White said. “We hope to have a big fight at Madison Square Garden in November, and then a big fight in December.”