UFC president Dana White has claimed Conor McGregor's comeback fight will most likely take place against Michael Chandler.
McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in a second consecutive loss to Dustin Poirier last year, but he has stepped up his training ahead of a planned comeback in 2023. Several opponents have been touted for McGregor's return and it is likely they will need to accept a clash at 170lb with the Irishman having piled on the pounds during his recovery.
The most persistent call-out has come from Chandler who has suggested he is open to stepping up from 155lb to 170lb to secure the showdown next year. And in a fresh update, ESPN has confirmed that White has revealed the American is in pole position to receive the call-up ahead of the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Justin Gaethje.
The full interview has yet to be released, but this would follow along from White's previous suggestion that a fight with Chandler would make sense for McGregor's return. The Irishman has just one win in his last four fights and will be looking to reverse his form when he makes his next cage appearance.
But he will be confident doing so given his last win also came against 170lb when he made light work of Donald Cerrone in his 2020 return to the cage. Chandler has spoken at length about a possible clash and has suggested the pair fight on International Fight Week in July next year.
“People will say I’m chasing the Red Panty Night, and I’m chasing the payday," Chandler told ESPN. "And yes, that’s a part of it, it’s always going to be a part of the conversation that people talk about when you’re fighting Conor McGregor, but I want battlegrounds of epic proportions. I want the brightest lights. I want the biggest platforms.
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"I want to go out there on the verge of a heart attack because the moment is so big. And what is bigger than fighting Conor McGregor? And at this point, him coming back, what is bigger than Conor McGregor stepping into the octagon with, I’ve got to be the most electrifying man in the UFC right now?
"It’s the biggest fight to make, it’s the most PPV sales that can be made right now, at this current juncture, in the entire world of MMA, I think Conor knows it, I think the UFC knows it, and I think it’s going to happen International Fight Week of 2023.”
McGregor issued a public response to Chandler's call-out earlier this year and stated his rival's openness to fight at 170lb as a key factor. He tweeted: "A firework spectacle. I like the 170 shout also. Tipped him over. I’m definitely game to fight this guy at some stage in my career."
