The trailer for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter was released on Wednesday and ends in heated fashion, with Conor McGregor shoving Michael Chandler during an intense exchange.
McGregor and Chandler are coaching opposing teams of fighters on the new season of the UFC television show, with the pair then set to square off in the ring later this year.
While no date, location or weight class has been announced for the bout, The Ultimate Fighter will premiere on 30 May and air into August.
The trailer, released on Wednesday (10 May), shows footage of McGregor’s run to becoming the first dual-weight champion in UFC history, as well as footage of Chandler’s UFC stint, which has seen him go 2-3.
Irishman McGregor last competed in July 2021, suffering a broken leg in a TKO defeat by Dustin Poirier, whom Chandler fought in November. American Chandler was submitted by his compatriot in the third round.
McGregor, 34, held the UFC lightweight and featherweight titles simultaneously in 2016, while Chandler, 37, is a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion. McGregor has bulked up significantly since suffering his leg injury, however, leading to suggestions that he could fight Chandler at welterweight.
Chandler said last week that he expects his fight with McGregor to take place “later on this fall, maybe winter at the latest”.
McGregor is currently absent from the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool, and fighters must have been in the pool for six months while returning zero positive tests in order to compete in the UFC. However, it has been suggested that McGregor could be granted an exemption.
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