Conor McGregor has been in the public eye lately, but so far there has been no indication that a date has been set for his fight with Michael Chandler.
“The Ultimate Fighter 31” is set to premiere this month, and viewers will be able to see how McGregor and Chandler interact as opposing coaches on the long-running reality show. The two are then expected to face off in the Octagon some time after the season ends in August. Exactly when that is not known. Meanwhile, McGregor was seen taking on Mike Perry in the main event finale of BKFC 41 this past weekend. He was also present at the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia boxing match one week earlier.
While McGregor appears to be enjoying life, this has led to speculation that he will not make it to his proposed bout with Chandler. The former Bellator Lightweight Champion discussed this possibility during a recent interview ESPN.
“I think he’ll come back,” Chandler said. “He’s definitely going to be a huge blot on his legacy, leading everyone on the road, making people think he’s coming back, and then kind of making noise at the end and just doing it for publicity. That, to me, screams insecurity, and he’s trying.” To stay relevant rather than see your commitment.
“I could be very wrong about that, and if I were, I’d be surprised, and quite frankly, I’d be disappointed, but also, I’m not going to sit here blowing my boss, blowing Dana up.” [White] And a hunter
[Campbell]just call them all the time, “Hey, when do we get something done?”
“At this point, I think we’ll fight later this fall, maybe winter at the latest – and we’ll see what happens.”
Part of the speculation regarding McGregor centers around his return to USADA’s drug testing pool. There is usually a six-month period required when an athlete re-enters the pool, though McGregor recently indicated he believes two clean tests will allow him to fight. There have been exceptions made by the UFC in the past, and Chandler wouldn’t be upset if that proved to be the case for McGregor.
“I could see it very well being just two clean tests,” Chandler said. “I have no problem with it being two clean tests. I could care less. If you do two clean tests, it appears to me that you are clean. At this point, who am I to say on what terms? I am ready to be cleared or at least get that answer. In this Stage, we don’t have an answer.”