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Conor McGregor is widely regarded as one of the biggest stars and box office draws, not only in combat sports but in the entire sporting world. That said, McGregor has faced multiple setbacks in recent years, including a horrific injury that the UFC megastar suffered in his previous fight.
In a lightweight bout against Dustin Poirier, which transpired at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021, ‘The Notorious’ was afflicted by a gruesome lower leg injury. McGregor lost the fight via first-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) and has been on hiatus ever since.
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While many speculated that the injury and lengthy layoff could mark the end of Conor McGregor’s illustrious MMA career, the Irishman consistently maintained that he’s far from done with the sport. McGregor hasn’t retired and is still listed as a member of the current UFC roster.
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Moreover, the UFC recently confirmed that McGregor will indeed return to the octagon this year. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion is scheduled to serve as a coach on season 31 of the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show. UFC lightweight star 'Iron' Michael Chandler will serve as his rival coach/opponent.
The TUF 31 season is set to air from May 30 to August 15, and McGregor is expected to fight Chandler after the season's conclusion. As per Ariel Helwani, the McGregor-Chandler fight could take place in September. However, the UFC hasn’t announced the weight class or the exact date for the matchup yet.
Islam Makhachev believes Conor McGregor could retire if he loses to Michael Chandler
Ahead of his UFC lightweight title defense against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on February 12, lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev jibed at longtime rival Conor McGregor.
At the UFC 284 media day, Makhachev alluded to the fact that McGregor and Michael Chandler have respectively lost three of their past four fights.
Makhachev suggested that this is probably why the matchup has been made, adding that Conor McGregor intelligently chose a small opponent like 'Iron' and will likely fight him at welterweight.
Jesting that either McGregor or Chandler will finally get a win when they face one another, Makhachev predicted that McGregor could potentially retire if he loses. The Dagestani fighter said:
“It's a good fight for the MMA fans, but if Chandler wins, [McGregor] is going to retire for sure. Make some good money and that's it, but Chandler so smart guy because I saw his last couple fights. He fights like crazy.”
Makhachev continued:
“For Conor, he chose a good way too. He chose a small guy at 170. Conor every day retires and every day comes back to the Twitter.”
Watch Makhachev’s assessment at 25:20 in the video below:
