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Conor McGregor will make his highly-anticipated return to the octagon later this year. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion has been roped in to serve as a coach on the upcoming season of the UFC’s TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) reality show, TUF season 31 to be specific.
UFC lightweight Michael Chandler has been announced as Conor McGregor’s rival coach for TUF 31. McGregor previously coached TUF 22 against Urijah Faber back in 2015. While ‘The Notorious’ didn’t fight Faber at the end of TUF 22, he’s expected to fight Chandler after the conclusion of TUF 31.
As evidenced by the UFC’s tale of the tape shown before their fights get underway, Conor McGregor is generally listed as 5’9” tall with a 74-inch reach. On the other hand, his American foe Michael Chandler is usually listed as 5’8” tall with a 71.5-inch reach. That said, one ought to note that the tale of the tape statistics often fluctuate and could vary in actuality.
Moreover, McGregor has fought in the featherweight (145-pound), lightweight (155-pound), and welterweight (170-pound) divisions in his MMA career. Chandler has competed at lightweight and welterweight. Both fighters are known to cut significant amounts of weight for their fights, which makes it tough to gauge which fighter would come in heavier on fight night.
Michael Bisping believes beating Michael Chandler could earn Conor McGregor a UFC title shot
The TUF 31 season will air from May 30th to August 15th, following which, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will clash inside the octagon. McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his leg in a lightweight bout against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Meanwhile, Chandler, who made his UFC debut in January 2021, has competed frequently and is currently the No. 5-ranked UFC lightweight.
It's unclear as to whether their fight, which will likely transpire in September, will be contested at lightweight or welterweight. Be that as it may, MMA legend Michael Bisping believes that defeating Chandler could bag McGregor a UFC title shot.
In a recent video posted to his official YouTube channel, Michael Bisping alluded to Conor McGregor being on a two-fight losing streak. Nevertheless, 'The Count' asserted that if McGregor were to defeat a top-ranked lightweight like Chandler, it’d catapult him into a title matchup. Addressing McGregor's much-awaited clash with 'Iron,' Bisping said:
“If McGregor gets it done, will we see him fight for the title next? That is a given. That is 100 percent. Just prepare yourself mentally for that. Regardless of whatever you think, he’s the biggest star in the sport. He’s a former two-weight division champion, and he’s a person that people want to see fight.”
Watch Bisping’s assessment at 7:43 in the video below:
