The rumor mill was recently put to rest with Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return being made official. For more than five years, MMA fans had wondered whether the former two-division champion would ever step inside the Octagon again following the gruesome leg injury he suffered against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy bout at UFC 264. His absence from the highly anticipated White House card only fueled further speculation about his fighting future. Those questions were answered when Dana White officially announced that McGregor will return to headline UFC 329 against Max Holloway in a welterweight rematch.
The announcement was made on May 16 during the UFC Vegas 117 broadcast and coincided with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s ring walk on Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight card. McGregor was previously scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in 2024, a matchup that had been years in the making. However, the bout was scrapped after the Irishman suffered a broken toe just weeks before the event.
Few fighters were more affected by that cancellation than Chandler. After coaching opposite McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter 31, the former Bellator 155lbs champion spent nearly two years waiting for the lucrative showdown to materialize. Between November 2022 and November 2024, Chandler largely put his career on hold in hopes of securing the McGregor payday.
When it became clear the fight would not happen, Chandler eventually moved on and faced Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. He then continued his career while remaining open to a potential rebooking against McGregor. Now, with McGregor’s comeback officially set against Holloway, Chandler is preparing for a different challenge. The American is scheduled to compete at UFC Freedom 250 against Mauricio Ruffy, ending any realistic possibility that he would be the man welcoming McGregor back to the Octagon.
Considering the years he invested waiting for the fight, it would be understandable if Chandler felt frustrated or even envious about missing out on the opportunity. Instead, his reaction has been surprisingly positive. Rather than dwelling on what could have been, Chandler appears genuinely pleased that McGregor is finally making his return after five years away from competition.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Chandler reflected on the rollercoaster journey surrounding his long-anticipated fight with Conor McGregor. He said, “It’s funny, man: Me vs. Conor, whether it was ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in the lead-up, then the actual training camp, then the pullout of the fight and the possible rebooking – this whole thing has been an up-and-down soap opera for the better part of a couple years.”
The Missouri native admitted that he no longer has strong emotions tied to the matchup, despite the years he spent waiting for it to materialize. With his focus now firmly on Ruffy, Chandler says he is simply looking forward to watching McGregor’s return as a fan of the sport.
He added, “As big as it was, as entrenched as I was into it, I just feel like I’m a million miles away now. I don’t really have any emotions about it, and maybe it’s because, obviously, I’m focused on Mauricio Ruffy at the White House. But man, I wish Conor well. The sport is a better place when Conor McGregor is training and on his way back. Max got the nod. We’ll get to see them compete here, it’s only five weeks away. I’ll be there cageside watching, very interested in how that fight goes.”
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Despite accepting that he will not be McGregor’s comeback opponent, Chandler remains convinced that their paths will eventually cross. Whether it happens inside the UFC or elsewhere, he believes the story between them is far from over. He said, “Whether me and Conor fight in the UFC or not, Conor and I will compete against each other at some point, in some venue, somewhere, somehow, some way. The story is there, the animosity is there, but also the mutual respect is already there. It’s got all the makings of a blockbuster. So if it happens down the line, it happens down the line. But I wish him well, and it’s good to hear obviously.”
For now, however, Chandler must turn his attention to the task at hand. The former Bellator champion is scheduled to face Mauricio Ruffy on June 14 at UFC Freedom 250 in a crucial matchup for his career. For the unversed, Chandler enters the contest on a three-fight losing streak and has dropped five of his last six bouts.
His most recent appearance ended in a devastating stoppage loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314, further increasing the pressure heading into his next outing. Whether he eventually gets the opportunity to share the cage with McGregor or not, Chandler understands that defeating Ruffy is the immediate priority. Another setback could significantly damage his standing in the division and make any future blockbuster matchup far more difficult to secure.
