Conor McGregor wanted to fight Michael Chandler in his first UFC fight for five years but had to settle for Max Holloway.
McGregor has not fought since he broke his leg at the end of the first round of his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021. He will return to the cage this summer when he takes on Holloway in Las Vegas on July 11. But McGregor wanted to take on Chandler on his return, having seen a fight between the pair scuppered two years ago when the Irishman broke his toe.
“Conor really wanted to give [his comeback fight] to Michael Chandler. He just felt Michael deserved it, having gone through the show and experienced that camp, the unfortunate injury and the cancellation of the bout,” McGregor’s manager Audie Attar told MMA Junkie.
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“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 (against Mauricio Ruffy), and we wish him the best. We want him to succeed. It can become a reality.
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“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 match-up.
“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 match-up at 170.”
McGregor, meanwhile, insists he is raring to go despite his inactivity. “The big fight is coming, let’s cheers to that,” he said. “The Mac is back, baby. Let’s go. It’s like a musical. Music to my ears, it is. I’m out so long, five years. My body’s fresh, my mind is sharp. I’m ready to come back. I’ve got a great opponent. I’ve got a great deal off the UFC. I’m very, very happy. They honored me, finally.”