A UFC pay-per-view card is not full with out an replace on the corporate’s greatest star, Conor McGregor.
This weekend marks two years because the brash Irishman final fought within the octagon, when he broke his left leg within the first spherical of a struggle in opposition to Dustin Poirier. Since then, McGregor has recovered and launched a Netflix documentary and based a brand new stout beer. However amid his new enterprise ventures, McGregor’s return to fight remains to be unclear.
He served as a coach for the present season of “The Final Fighter,” a actuality TV match the place potential fighters compete for a UFC contract. McGregor’s presence allowed this season’s program to air weekly at prime time on ESPN, an unusually favorable slot for the present.
As is custom, the opposing coaches are alleged to struggle one another, which means McGregor should face Michael Chandler, the No. 5 ranked light-weight contender. However a struggle shouldn’t be deliberate. Dana White, the UFC president, mentioned McGregor has but to take part within the U.S. Anti-Doping Company testing pool, which is required for UFC athletes.
White mentioned he’s assured the Chandler struggle will occur, however is uncertain of the timing.
“It is only a matter of when,” White mentioned in an interview. “We’re engaged on it. Clearly there’s an essential struggle coming from ‘The Final Fighter’, which airs on ESPN, so we’ll get this accomplished.