GIZA, Egypt – Michael Chandler has been campaigning tirelessly for a fight against Conor McGregor, and although at times the push has felt like a one-way street from Chandler’s part, it turns out the feeling was mutual.
Audie Attar, McGregor’s manager, revealed they made a big push to try to make the Irishman’s return to MMA against Chandler, but it was the UFC that wasn’t interested in the rebooking despite having already built promotional equity for the matchup.
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McGregor’s original return from injury was supposed to be against Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024. The two had been rival coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 31 reality show in 2023, and were expected to fight at the end of the season, as is customary for rival coaches of TUF. Unfortunately, the bout fell through just days before the event due to an injury to McGregor.
Fast-forward to 2026, and both McGregor and Chandler have fights booked for the summer, but not against each other.
“Conor really wanted to give that to Michael Chandler,” Attar told MMA Junkie. “He just felt Michael deserved it, having gone through the show and experienced that camp, the unfortunate injury, and the cancellation of the bout. Conor really, really wanted that to happen, and we did everything to try to push it. At the time, it just didn’t make sense for the UFC, but it doesn’t mean that it might not happen in the future. Michael has a great fight ahead of him at the White House, and we wish him the best. We want him to succeed. It can become a reality.”
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is expected to headline UFC 329 on July 11 against former UFC featherweight and BMF champion Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in a welterweight bout. Meanwhile, Chandler fights Mauricio Ryffy next month at UFC Freedom Fights 250 on the White House lawn.
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“Like I said, we pushed for Chandler,” Attar said. “That was our main focus initially. Different names surfaced in the conversations, and in the negotiations, and I think from a Max Holloway perspective, we know we got one on Max, and he wants to get that back. We know they faced each other when they were 145ers, and we know that Max is game and he’s going to put on a great performance. We just felt it was the right matchup. One of the things, obviously with being out with the time Conor has been out for, it just made sense to do it at 170, right? Max was game right away and willing to step up and take the matchup at 170.”
McGregor, 37, has spent nearly two years since claiming his next fight was just around the corner. He expected to fight at UFC Freedom 250 in June, but the promotion opted to keep him off the card. Additionally, McGregor, who has long stated he has two fights left on his UFC contract, claimed his deal was “void” after the company moved away from the pay-per-view model in 2026 with its new U.S. rights agreement with Paramount. It’s unknown at this time if McGregor struck a new multi-fight deal with the UFC or if renegotiated terms would leave just one fight remaining after UFC 329 concludes.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Conor McGregor’s manager explains why Michael Chandler wasn’t return fight
