Helwani: 'Hope' is Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler Fight on UFC ...
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MMA reporter Ariel Helwani reported on Monday that the current "hope" is that Connor McGregor will face Michael Chandler at UFC 310 this upcoming December.
Ariel Helwani provides an update on Noche UFC at Sphere:<br><br>"I feel like the front runner [to main event] at this juncture is [Sean O'Malley] vs. Merab [Dvalishvili] and then Alexa [Grasso] hopefully against Valentina Shevchenko."<br><br>▶️ <a href="https://t.co/MdaPSdBC11">https://t.co/MdaPSdBC11</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheMMAHour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheMMAHour</a> <a href="https://t.co/bshHxlYRmJ">pic.twitter.com/bshHxlYRmJ</a>
"As of right now, as I said recently, the hope is Connor vs. Chandler in December," he noted. "On that Dec. 14 pay-per-view. Connor even tweeted to Michael Chandler a couple of days ago, saying, 'Just spoke to Dana [White], and everything is in place.' And he's hoping that he fights in 2024. So that's the layout, right there."
McGregor and Chandler were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 303 but the bout was cancelled after McGregor suffered an injury.
"Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout," McGregor wrote on Instagram at the time. "I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC, and my team."
"My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there!" he added. "Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I'll be back!"
McGregor, 36, hasn't fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. It was his third loss in his past four UFC fights. The former featherweight and lightweight UFC champion is 22-6 in his MMA career.
Chandler, 38, last fought in Nov. 2022, losing to Poirier by submission at UFC 281. Like McGregor, it was his third loss in his past four UFC fights. The three-time Bellator champion is 23-8 in his MMA career.
The two have been circling each other for several years now, though a fight has never come together. It sounds as though the UFC will give it another go in December.
