The UFC and mixed martial arts have their most colorful figure back. After breaking his leg in the summer of 2021, superstar Conor McGregor will now return to the octagon. His long-awaited comeback fight will be fueled with a reality TV show.
The martial arts organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) starts the year with a big bang: With Conor McGregor, the biggest star of the mixed martial arts scene will climb back into the cage. The UFC announced this on their social media channels.
McGregor will previously appear as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, UFC President Dana White said. "The Ultimate Fighter" is a popular TV show in which two prominent UFC stars each coach a team of unknown fighters who compete for a UFC contract themselves in a tournament mode. In addition to McGregor, American Michael Chandler will oversee the other team on the show. The 36-year-old will then meet McGregor at the end of the season, White explained. However, there is no place or date yet. Since the show hasn't been taped and aired yet, it's safe to assume that the UFC is aiming for a summer date at the earliest.
McGregor, who faced Urijah Faber on the reality show in 2015, has not fought since breaking his left leg while fighting Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Chandler has been demanding a duel with the Irishman for more than a year.
A former lightweight and featherweight champion, McGregor (fight record 22-6) became the first fighter to simultaneously hold two titles in different weight classes in the UFC. The Irish-born fighter also holds the record for the fastest finish in UFC title fight history - a 13-second knockout on Jose Aldo in a featherweight belt fight. However, the 34-year-old had lost his last two fights.
The fight with Chandler promises to be a spectacle. The American (23-8) is a former three-time lightweight champion in rival organization Bellator and has a reputation for not pacing for long. After joining the UFC in 2021, he was already in the cage with some of the best fighters in his weight class. In November he lost his last fight to Dustin Poirier by submission.
