- Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler opened as a pick’em fight last Sunday.
- The odds have since moved to McGregor’s favor with BetOnline listing McGregor at -130 odds and Chandler at +110 as of Monday night.
- McGregor and Chandler have been booked to coach opposite each other at TUF 31 and are expected to fight in the TUF 31 Finale.
The opening odds for Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon have gone live and according to the top UFC betting sites, the “Notorious” will be in for a tough challenge against Michael Chandler.
McGregor vs Chandler opened as a pick’em fight on Sunday, with the best UFC sportsbooks listing both fighters at -110 odds.
It marked the third-longest opening odds of McGregor’s UFC career with only his +100 versus Chad Mendes at UFC 189 and +175 against Khabib Numragedov at UFC 229 longer. Chandler opened at minus-money odds for only the second time in his UFC tenure.
Those odds, however, have shifted in the Irishman’s favor, since going live. According to the latest betting lines at online sportsbook SportsBetting.ag as of Tuesday, McGregor is a -130 favorite to beat Chandler (+110) in the recently announced showdown.
UFC President Dana White announced on social media last Saturday that McGregor and Chandler will be the opposing coaches at The Ultimate Fighter 31. The reality TV series, which airs on ESPN+ and ESPN, will debut on May 30 and culminate on August 15. As with the tradition of the TUF series, the coaches are expected to fight in the TUF Finale.
This will be the second TUF coaching stint for McGregor who coached Team McGregor (Europe) against Team Faber (USA) at TUF 22 in 2015. Interestingly, however, it was the only TUF edition where the coaches did not fight in the Finale.
That was because McGregor was already slated to fight Jose Aldo at UFC 194 on December 12, 2015, while the TUF 22 Finale was booked one day before the said numbered event.
The Fight That People Want To See
It’s official everyone. Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler will coach The Ultimate Fighter!! pic.twitter.com/RURTj4sqgy
— The Mac Life (@TheMacLife) February 4, 2023
McGregor has not competed in the UFC since breaking his leg during his July 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier. The Notorious had opened as a -300 favorite in a possible Tony Ferguson (+250) bout but after the initial excitement about that potential matchup, the clamor died down.
Meanwhile, Chandler has been relentless but respectful in calling out McGregor for over a year now for a high-profile showdown. Most recently, the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion turned down a call out by current no. 8 UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan. Now his perseverance has paid off.
In his most recent interview about TUF 31, White explained why he booked the fight, according to Talksport.com:
“I think that’s the fight that people want to see right now. I think that’s an exciting fight. The fact that this season is on ESPN. If you think about ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and how long, it’s been around. It started on Spike, we had a run on FOX and now it’s going to be on ESPN the network.”
“It’s exciting, fun, and a massive opportunity for the contestants on the show. It’s a big deal. This is a big season, it’s a big deal.”
It’s worth noting however that Chandler has lost three out of his last four bouts and he is just 2-4 since coming over from Bellator. All his fights however were against the cream of the crop of the UFC’s lightweight division. The fight with McGregor however, will be his biggest – in terms of magnitude and weight.
Fight Will Be Contested at Welterweight
The UFC has not announced the complete details of TUF 31 yet. But MMA journalist Ariel Helwani shed some unofficial but “confirmed” information regarding the UFC’s upcoming tournament during his recent The Ringer MMA Show.
In the show, Helwani said that he has verified that the fight between McGregor and Chandler will be taking place at the welterweight division or 170 pounds. He went on to describe that as a “wrinkle” because, while Chandler competed at this weight class during his pro-MMA debut, he has fought at lightweight for the majority of his MMA career.
McGregor meanwhile, has battled at welterweight in the UFC twice, losing to Nate Diaz via submission at UFC 196 and sensationally knocking out Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in 2020. The Notorious has looked massive in photos and videos since recovering from his injury and he even hinted last December that we would fight at middleweight one day.
Helwani also said that although the tournament will run from May 30 to August 15, the initial plan is to have McGregor and Chandler fight during the 3rd quarter of 2023, most likely in September. Pushing the fight to September makes sense for the UFC because McGregor still needs to secure USADA clearance to be eligible to fight.
USADA Releases Statement on McGregor’s Eligibility
USADA has put out a statement regarding the eligibility of Conor McGregor to resume competition, confirming that he has not yet been re-enrolled into the USADA anti-doping pool: pic.twitter.com/vn8KhFgyEv
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) February 4, 2023,
One issue surrounding McGregor’s comeback fight is his eligibility to compete inside the Octagon. Under UFC rules, a fighter is not allowed to compete under the promotion unless he is enrolled in the USADA’s drug testing pool for at least six months and he has at least two negative tests prior to the date of the fight.
Previously, McGregor pulled himself out of the UFC’s USADA Drug Testing Pool following his loss to Poirier. Since then, he has posted numerous pictures and videos where he seems to have significantly bulked up while recovering and recuperating from surgery.
The USADA has spoken about McGregor’s situation and in a statement, it said The Notorious does not need to re-enroll in the USADA Pool to coach in the series. However, if McGregor is to fight after that, he would have to be in the pool for at least six months with at least two negative tests.
USADA also confirmed that McGregor has yet to re-enroll in the pool. But that is alright, at least for now. If the fight between McGregor and Poirier is happening in September, then he will have up to next month to join the UFC’s drug testing pool. It’s also worth noting that the UFC and USADA once gave Brock Lesnar a special exemption on drug testing to compete at UFC 200.
