Conor McGregor Returns Against Michael Chandler At Lightweight-Here’s What We Know

Dana White has declared that Conor McGregor’s comeback fight against Michael Chandler will be in the lightweight division.

There are plenty of talking points coming into the fight. McGregor’s opponent, Chandler (23-8), most recently experienced a defeat by way of submission to Dustin Poirier in UFC 281.

Meanwhile, McGregor had previously been projecting that he would attempt to secure the welterweight title when he resumed fighting after suffering a leg injury against Poirier in 2021.

The 34-year-old McGregor had expressed his ambition to establish himself as the first three-weight champion in UFC history, and as such, he began to build up a lot of muscle so he could contend with heavier rivals in the 170 lb division. 

And yet, it appears that the bulk he gained that made him reach almost 200lbs has been in vain, and he will need to drastically reduce his weight before his next bout.

Despite the weight class, there is still plenty of time before the bout. Neither the date nor the location has been selected, giving McGregor plenty of time to get in shape. 

White is uncertain whether a McGregor victory over Chandler would be sufficient to merit him a chance at the championship title that will be at stake when Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski face off at UFC 284 this weekend.

Volkanovski’s View On The Fight

Volkanovski is ready for a title bout with McGregor if he is successful against Chandler. He just has to navigate the next hurdle in front of him: Islam Makhachev, who is believed to be the 2nd best fighter on the pound-for-pound list. If McGregor can beat Chandler, Volkanovski knows he will likely be asked to challenge for the championship.

Alexander Volkanovski believes Conor McGregor can get back in the UFC title picture with a win over Michael Chandler 🏆 #UFC284

"It’s good to look at because I plan on taking that lightweight belt." pic.twitter.com/RpEhWkLfhm

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) February 9, 2023

“That just puts Conor right back in the conversations for the belt and all that type of stuff. For people to say he wouldn’t deserve it, and there’s no way they’re going to do that, you’re pretty crazy, right? It’s Conor McGregor, and if he takes out someone like Chandler, you know his name is going to be mentioned. You know people are going to be talking about him,” Volkanovski said

Makhachev‘s View On The Fight

And the permutations surrounding such a bout are even more intriguing in light of Makhachev’s comments on Chandler. Makhachev believes that Chandler will step away from the UFC after his battle with McGregor, which may give him one last moment to make history or do the reverse by quelling the fire before the fight begins. With that being said, here is what Makhachev had to say:

“For Chandler, this fight is (the) last fight for him. He’s gonna make money and that’s it. He’s gonna retire. Or, if he loses, maybe UFC kicks him out ’cause of how many times he lose. Conor can beat him because I don’t understand Chandler. He has a background in wrestling but he goes always crazy.”