Conor McGregor has been backed to make an emphatic return in his UFC comeback fight despite being without a win in over three years.
McGregor, 34, will look to get back in the winning column later this year when he faces Michael Chandler after coaching against the American on The Ultimate Fighter. Filming for the UFC's reality TV show has begun Las Vegas with the series to air from May to August, with McGregor and Chandler expected to fight shortly after that.
'Notorious' spent the entirety of last year on the sidelines after breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their July 2021 trilogy fight. The defeat marked McGregor's second to Poirier that year having also been stopped by him in their January rematch. Chandler predicts that his opponent will look as good as new in their fight after a lengthy absence from competition.
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"I think we're going to see a very motivated Conor McGrgeor in his comeback fight," Chandler said on The MMA Hour. "The fact that it's me standing on the other side of the octagon, is indicative of a man who wants a dangerous fight. Who is hungry for something that makes people feel something and move them.
"You don't sign on the dotted line against me unless you know that hell is coming towards you. I see this as could Conor have come back to fight someone who isn't as dangerous? Absolutely. What he also said is that this is the perfect opportunity to have 'full immersion'. I think we're going to see the best Conor McGregor we've ever seen, starting his training camp inside of The Ultimate Fighter house.
McGregor will return for his second stint on The Ultimate Fighter having coached against former rival Urijah Faber on season 22 of the reality show in 2015. The UFC"s anti-doping agency, USADA, has confirmed that McGregor will need to complete six months of drug-testing before can fight Chandler. Special exemptions can be granted by the UFC to overrule this period, but USADA believes an exemption wouldn't "be applicable" in McGregor's current case.
Chandler also called for his fight against McGregor to take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which has a capacity of 70,000. "Conor has been talking about Croke Park in Ireland, he's spoken about Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys stadium. A Conor fight can easily fill a stadium. His comeback fight against one of the most dangerous and the most exciting guy in the division We sell the thing out for sure. I might call them [the UFC] today to get them working on this stadium thing," he added.
