Michael Chandler has rubbished fan theories that Conor McGregor will pull out of the pair's expected fight at the end of the year following The Ultimate Fighter.
Chandler and McGregor are coaching against one another on this season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the American currently 3-0 up in the opening bouts of the series. The season was filmed earlier this year, and since then the Irishman has been spotted drinking and partying around the world, with their fight date seeming as far away as ever.
But the former Bellator lightweight champion is confident that his rival will show up when their fight date is confirmed at the end of the year. He has urged fans to remain patient as the UFC put together their year-end pay-per-view schedule, with December and November dates in Las Vegas and New York still unannounced.
“The guys coaching The Ultimate Fighter have historically never not fought,” Chandler told Barstool Sports. “So Conor coming back, I’m the fight, we just don’t know when it’s going to be. And I also know everybody’s eager for the answer, hey, when is the fight going to happen?
"USADA testing, Conor’s leg, Conor’s partying, all these different things that people are talking about because people are so interested in him as a character outside of the Octagon and also the fighter inside the Octagon. So it begs a ton of questions, a lot of speculation.”
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The pair have gotten into it during filming for the reality show thus far, and have verbally agreed to fight each other. And while it seems that December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is their date, Chandler has urged fans to remain patient given that there are already six months until then.
“Ultimately, I’ve been in contact with the UFC, Hunter Campbell and Dana White," Chandler explained in an effort to keep fans in the loop. "Both personally. The fight is happening. We don’t, they don’t even have certain big pay-per-views necessarily announced yet. So if you expect our fight maybe November, December, or whatever it may be to be announced already. I think it’s a tough ask right now. We’re still sitting in June.”
