Dana White, CEO and president of UFC, responds to a question during a news conference after UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Saturday, April 13, 2024 | 11:46 p.m.
The UFC wrapped up one of the biggest events in its 31-year history at T-Mobile Arena late Saturday night, and then immediately announced another one.
The biggest star in the history of the promotion, Conor McGregor, will return to the octagon for the first time in nearly three years on June 29 at T-Mobile when he takes on Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout. The fight will headline UFC 303 as part of International Fight Week, an annual week-long event locally that draws tens of thousands of fight fans for parties, meet-and-greets and more.
The fight between McGregor and Chandler, a former Bellator champion and UFC top contender, has been in the works for more than a year since the two coached opposite of each other on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter.
The 37-year-old Chandler has put his career on hold waiting for McGregor and the sure multimillion dollar payday that comes with fighting him. He hasn’t fought since a November 2022 submission loss to Dustin Poirier, his third defeat in his last four fights.
McGregor is on an identical downturn — including a pair of losses to Poirier with the latest in July 2021 — but demand to see “The Notorious” fight hasn’t diminished.
“He had a lot of obligations that he had to deal with,” UFC President Dana White said of McGregor in a news conference. “What you don’t want him doing is accepting the fight when he has a ton of obligations and he can’t train 100% for the fight.”
Chandler was on hand for Saturday’s UFC 300, while McGregor was watching from afar based on social-media posts commenting on the action.
Speculation has persisted on what’s taken so long for McGregor vs. Chandler to come to fruition, but White shot down rumors and said his relationship with his most famous fighter is better than ever. Both the UFC and McGregor were just waiting for the right time, according to White, and they determined that to be UFC 303.
“Conor is a great partner,” White said. “He’s always been easy to deal with. We’re back. He’s a smart guy.”
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
