"We made a commitment” - After Conor McGregor’s 'surprise' announcement comment, Michael Chandler doubles down on being the Irishman’s comeback fight

Conor McGregor's comeback fight is yet to be officially announced, leading to speculation that Michael Chandler may not face the Irishman upon his return.

The pair featured as the coaches for season 31 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' and were expected to face off in the octagon following the season finale, which aired on August 15.

Their clash has still not been confirmed, and McGregor's tweet last month about the UFC giving him a 'surprise' opponent added to speculation about the Irishman's return bout. But during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Chandler dismissed any notion that 'The Notorious' will face anyone else in his comeback fight.

'Iron' said this:

"Conor is not coming back and fighting anybody else. No matter who he talks about, no matter what things he tries to will into existence, he's coming back and he's fighting me. We did The Ultimate Fighter, we signed on the contract, we made a commitment. I'm a man of my word, I believe he's a man of his word and the UFC are men of their words."

Catch Michael Chandler's comments below (15:13):

Conor McGregor's delayed re-entry into the USADA testing pool appeared to be the main reason for the lack of confirmation surrounding a bout with Michael Chandler.

But the Irishman re-entered the testing pool at the beginning of October, and his comeback fight should be announced in the first quarter of 2024.

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Conor McGregor's former TUF rival coach believes his return will happen at UFC 300

Conor McGregor has appeared on The Ultimate Fighter as a coach on two occasions, firstly against Urijah Faber at TUF 22 and secondly against Michael Chandler at TUF 31.

As the Irishman prepares to make his return bout against 'Iron', Faber has shared his thoughts on which pay-per-view card McGregor could appear on next year. Given that the first three pay-per-view cards of 2024, namely UFC 297, UFC 298, and UFC 299, all have headlining fights, 'The California Kid' believes that McGregor may return at UFC 300.

It will likely be the promotion's biggest card yet, and would make perfect sense to play host to the comeback of the most famous MMA fighter of all time. Urijah Faber was recently interviewed by The Schmo, where he commented on Conor McGregor's potential return at UFC 300, saying this:

"Conor's been training his butt off. I've been checking him out, he trains himself, he trains his kid, he rides on his yacht... I think he's ready... Yeah, [Michael Chandler] maybe. Anybody, Conor's always talking crap to everybody, so you never know who could pop up as a good fight."

Catch Urijah Faber's comments below (2:52):