Tag: Conor McGregor

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 306 gets new champs at Sphere, Chandler gives up on McGregor, Jones-Miocic, more

On this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses the results from UFC 306, the latest with Conor McGregor and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC 306 is in the books, and both headlining champions lost their titles. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] lost dominant unanimous decisions to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag], respectively. Beyond that, several fighters had breakthrough performances, including [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], who badly battered former two-time UFC title challenger [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]. We’ll unpack the UFC’s debut at Sphere and all the technical magic that came with it.
  • The main event for the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden in November was finally announced: a heavyweight title fight between [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] was made official by the promotion. Accompanying Jones-Miocic at UFC 309, a lightweight bout pitting [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] against [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] was also announced. We break down both matchups and discuss what’s at stake.
  • Finally, with Chandler fighting Oliveira, this leaves the question: What is going to happen with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]? McGregor and Chandler were linked to fight for more than a year, and yet that fight never came to fruition, despite a failed booking and the two participating on last year’s season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” McGregor reacted to the news and said that he’s been ready, but feels he’s been kept “out of the loop.” What is going on? We discuss.

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Michael Chandler not mad at Conor McGregor over UFC career holdup, confident fight happens in 2025

Michael Chandler still believes he’ll be the one to welcome back Conor McGregor to the UFC.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has been though a lot in recent years, yet, he remains fully positive even if things didn’t pan out the way he wanted them.

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), a former Bellator champion and current top UFC contender, is closing in on two years away from the sport due to hold-ups and postponements of a fight with [autotag]Conor McGregor [/autotag] that never came to fruition.

Chandler was always game to fight and remained training for the bout against the Irish superstar, but in the end, he had to move on and now finds himself booked in a rematch against Charles Oliveira in November at UFC 309.

Despite spending almost two, key years of his prime on the sidelines waiting for McGregor, Chandler doesn’t hold against grudges against him.

“No, I’m not going to let another man control my emotions and let another man control my life,” Chandler told reporters at UFC 306. “Over the last year and a half, it’s been an up and down of craziness. You guys see the way he lives his life, you guys see the Tweets, you guys see the media machine, and the constant attention that Conor is. And me, being the guy on the other side, I’m just a quieter guy by nature when it comes to not trying to put myself on the headlines nonstop and not trying to put myself in the conversation all the time.

“I’m not mad at him at all. I wish Conor the best. He’s earned every right to be in the position that he is. He’s earned every right to do what he wants to do and operate the way he wants to operate.”

While some doubt if McGregor will ever fight again, Chandler is confident McGregor will not only return, but have his welcome back to the UFC against him.

“Conor McGregor is still not off the hook,” Chandler said. “Conor McGregor’s road back to the UFC still goes through Nashville, Tenn., and Michael Chandler. We must finish “TUF 31.” It has to happen. We’re at the same weight class. It was too long of a buildup for it not to happen.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 2: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 309 co-main event

Once a betting favorite over Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler now heads into his UFC 309 rematch vs. Charles Oliveira as a clear underdog.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] opted to stop waiting for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] to return and accepted a rematch with former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who beat him by second-round knockout in their first meeting in a vacant title bout at UFC 262 in May 2021.

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler preview

In the wake of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement and vacancy of the 155-pound belt in late 2020, the promotion put together a vacant title bout between Oliveira and Chandler to determine a new champion. It was a back-and-forth first round, but then the Brazilian came out early in Round 2 and landed big shots en route to the finish by strikes.

Oliveira would go to run the division for several fights before Islam Makhachev took the reigns, and is looking to get back in the title mix by beating Chandler again to rebound from his UFC 300 loss to Arman Tsarukyan.

Chandler, meanwhile, will return to the venue he most recently competed in – a submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 – more than two years after he last fought. The former three-time Bellator champion patiently waited for McGregor through a coaching stint on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series and a canceled booking at UFC 303 in July, but decided he’d had enough and took the rematch with Oliveira instead.

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler odds

DraftKings released the opening odds for the rematch, in which Oliveira is a -218 betting favorite over Chandler, who is a +180 underdog.

How to watch Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler at UFC 309

  • When: November 16
  • Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Conor McGregor perplexed by UFC status after losing Michael Chandler bout: ‘I’m out of the loop with it’

According to Conor McGregor, he’s been waiting for a fight date, but he lost his expected opponent Michael Chandler to Charles Oliveira.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] appears unsure of what’s going on with his relationship with the UFC.

The former two-division UFC champion says he’s been to return, but for whatever reason, the promotion has not given him a fight date. In fact, he just lost his expected opponent, Michael Chandler, to a rematch against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

According to McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who recently became a part-owner in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he has been doing everything he is supposed to behind the scenes, including frequent drug testing and training to prepare for a return to action. But as it stands, McGregor has no date or opponent.

“I got tested this evening. I got tested today by the Drug Free Sport agency,” McGregor said at the BKFC 66 post-event news conference. “I’m the most tested athlete on the roster by more than twice the amount. I believe I’m maybe tested 13 times, the amount of seconds it took me to finish Jose Aldo. Thirteen times.

“Actually, funny enough, Jose Aldo is No. 2 in the testing. I think he’s been tested six times. So I’ve been tested more than twice all these other athletes, yet I struggle to get a date. So, I’ve talked to Sheikh Turki (Alalshikh), and said, ‘Sheikh Turki, can you assist me here?'”

According to the UFC Anti-Doping online records testing history (last updated on Sept. 13 at noon ET), McGregor has been tested 10 times in 2024. Aldo shows the same number. Kayla Harrison is the only other fighter in double digits, also with 10 tests.

While McGregor may have been off on his numbers, he is truly among the most tested fighters on the roster.

The Irishman was scheduled to fight Chandler at UFC 303 in July, but the fight was scratched after he broke his toe.

Chandler sat on the sidelines for nearly two years since his last bout while waiting for McGregor. He finally got fed up and decided to move on to a rematch against Oliveira. While McGregor initially issued a firey reply to the news on X (formerly Twitter), his tone differed when speaking candidly on the situation, offering optimism about the future.

“As far as Chandler rematching Oliviera, I’m happy with the date,” McGregor said. “It’s November. Maybe we can still do it after if they’re not going to line me up out till maybe December, January, February – one of these dates. Maybe we can still do it.

“I’m just out of the loop with it, you know? All I can do is carry on, doing what I’m doing. I test under the testing administration, I train daily, and that’s it. Let’s see what happens. Hopefully, it all comes to fruition.”

McGregor appears to be stuck in a holding pattern. He believes everything is up to par on his end, but is still currently on the outside looking in. With only a couple of bouts remaining on his active UFC contract, the entrepreneurial athlete has his business mind churning out ideas about how to proceed.

“I have two fights left on my UFC contract,” McGregor said. “My opponent that I was scheduled to fight has rescheduled another bout. I would love maybe an exemption, or maybe a joint partnership, Bare Knuckle-UFC. Similar to McGregor Sports and Entertainment and Mayweather Promotions. Some sort of agreement where we can get busy.

“I need to be busy, and right now I’m working to get there. So, let’s what happens. Like I said, I have two fights left on the contract, and it’s taking a minute, but you know, patience is one of the most important skills a human being can possess, study, learn, and implement, and that’s where I’m at right now.”

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Michael Chandler explains decision to move on from Conor McGregor fight

After nearly two years of waiting for Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler explains why he’s now fighting Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

It’s been over 22 months since [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] fought in the UFC, largely due to waiting for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] to compete.

Time’s up, and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has officially moved on.

Friday, the former lightweight title challenger confirmed his next fight will take place at UFC 309 against former champion Charles Oliveira. It will be a rematch of their bout at UFC 262 in 2021, where Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) claimed the vacant lightweight title by finishing Chandler in the second round.

Chandler knows the risk of challenging Oliveira again but calls the decision “the ultimate bet on yourself.” In a pair of videos posted online, Chandler explained his reasoning.

“I think you guys have forgotten over the last year or so who Michael Chandler is,” Chandler said in a YouTube video. “From October of 2020, I signed with the organization in September, from October of 2020 to November of 2022, in a 25-month span, I did six training camps, one backup fight for the world title fight. Five fights in 25 months. Four Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night bonuses. Two Fight of the Year candidates, one Fight of the Year against Justin Gaethje, one KO of the Year against Tony Ferguson, one Debut of the Year against Dan Hooker.

“… That is why I’m taking the Charles Oliveira fight. Why? Because I took a quick little detour to chase this thing. The opportunity of ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ … I got more promo, more eyeballs, more of everything in the last year and a half than I would have gotten with three fights, and now I get the opportunity to take a title run.”

When news of Chandler’s decision to take another fight reached McGregor, the Irishman issued a fiery tweet in response.

“Chander saw that takedown getting stuffed and mauled and officially dipped,” McGregor wrote on X (formerly Twitter).” Little Fat P*ssy.” I’m at the hard rock hotel Florida for the bare knuckle tonight. Got tested earlier today by DFSI. Give me my f*cking date!”

Undeterred by McGregor’s words but inspired to elaborate, Chandler posted another video on Instagram to issue a dismissive reply and further detail why he wants to keep fighting rather than wait for a fight that may never come.

“I’m not even going to respond to Conor’s stupid little tweet, acting like I dipped,” Chandler said in an Instagram video. “The simple fact of the matter is, you are the most unreliable human being that has ever graced mixed martial arts.

“So, what am I going to do? I’m going to fight Charles Oliveira. Why am I going to fight Charles Oliveira? Number one, it’s a badass fight. Number two, it’s a rematch. It’s a redemption story for me. The dude who already stole from me – rightfully so, in a fair fight – he stole my dreams, shattered my dreams of becoming UFC champion.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_4SlUhPXBi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

A victory over Oliveira would keep his name on the shortlist of UFC lightweight title challengers. Essentially, Chandler is confident the world would be his oyster if he gets his hand raised.

“Now I get the opportunity to fight Charles Oliviera, become the No. 1 contender, and then I’ve got options,” Chandler said. “If Conor can finally get his house in order, if he can finally string together a couple of sober days, string together a couple of days where he’s actually training and actually feeling good, and he can actually finally, finally make good on his promise of the greatest comeback in combat sports history, if he can finally pony up, then I will fight Conor after I dispatch of Charles Oliveira.

“Or, Islam Makhachev, you are next in 2025, and I will be the champion by the end of 2025.”

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UFC 309: Michael Chandler to rematch Charles Oliveira in return; may fight Conor McGregor later

Frustrated with waiting for Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler will now face former UFC champion Charles Oliveira for the second time.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has moved on from a long-awaited showdown against [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

At UFC 309, which takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York, Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) will now rematch former lightweight champ [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] in a five-round bout. Chandler discussed the news in a YouTube video following a first report from Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports. MMA Junkie also confirmed the matchup with a source. The Chandler vs. McGregor matchup may still come later down the road.

Friday, UFC CEO Dana White told Barstool Sports Chandler was “done waiting” for McGregor, and wanted to book another fight. Chandler’s matchup is now known, and he’ll look to avenge a UFC 262 loss to Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC), who won the vacant lightweight title by second-round stoppage.

Chandler has waited nearly two years for a matchup against McGregor to come to fruition. After a submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 on Nov. 12, 2022, Chandler coached opposite McGregor on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series early in 2023. He was set to fight McGregor at UFC 303 in June, but the fight fell through when the Irishman broke his toe.

Since their first meeting, Oliveira defended his title against Poirier, and defeated Justin Gaethje, but lost his belt on the scale. He then lost by submission to Islam Makhachev in an attempt to claim the vacant title.

Oliviera then rebounded by stopping Beneil Dariush in the first round at UFC 289, but then dropped a split decision against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, which was his most recent appearance.

The current UFC 309 lineup includes:

  • Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Dana White says Michael Chandler no longer fighting Conor McGregor, teases new matchup

UFC CEO Dana White says Michael Chandler is “done waiting” for Conor McGregor and a fight announcement is imminent.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has eluded to the possibility of ending his long wait to fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], and it appears now he will do so.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] revealed on Friday to Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox that Chandler has opted to take another fight, and news of that new matchup is imminent.

“No (McGregor is not fighting Chandler anymore),” White said. “Chandler said, ‘I’m done waiting. I want to fight.’ It’ll come out tomorrow.”

https://www.twitter.com/spinninbackfist/status/1834752340857176509

If White’s interview was recorded on the same day as the video’s release, it’s possible the fight announcement could come on the UFC 306 broadcast from Sphere.

Chandler has not competed since his November 2022 submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. He coached “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series with McGregor in early 2023 before the pair were finally officially scheduled to meet at UFC 303 in July.

McGregor withdrew due to a broken toe, however, and no new date has been set. The former two-division UFC champ claims he’s eager to fight, but White recently said McGregor won’t fight until early 2025.

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Bare Knuckle FC announces multi-year broadcast partnership with DAZN

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will have a new home for viewers to see its upcoming events.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will have a new home for viewers to see its upcoming events.

BKFC officials announced on Friday that the promotion has entered into a three-year broadcast agreement with DAZN Worldwide that will include live fight cards for subscribers, additional pay-per-view events and other various shoulder programming.

The deal kicks off with the BKFC card in Marbella, Spain on Oct. 12, according to a press release issued to MMA Junkie.

“Our partnership with DAZN represents a major inflection point in BKFC’s global expansion,” BKFC president David Feldman said in a statement. “This three-year deal allows us to bring the adrenaline-pumping action of BKFC to an even larger, worldwide audience. DAZN shares our vision of elevating the sport of bare-knuckle fighting, and together, we will deliver an unparalleled experience to combat sports fans across the globe.”

BKFC put on its first event in June 2018 and has since experienced a slow but respectable growth in notoriety.

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor recently gained an ownership stake in the company, and has put forth a legitimate effort in pushing the brand using his massive platform.

BKFC has tested various broadcast partners during its more than six years of existence, but the DAZN deal marks the most noteworthy collaboration to date.

“We are thrilled to become the exclusive home of BKFC’s premier events, said DAZN senior vice president of North America Jared Kass in a statement. “This collaboration speaks to DAZN’s dedication to delivering innovative and unforgettable combat sports experiences. With BKFC now part of our portfolio, fans worldwide will have access to some of the most exciting fights and content in the sport.”

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Dana White explains why Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor included on his UFC Mount Rushmore

Dana White put his business hat on when selecting his latest version of a UFC Mount Rushmore.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] put his business hat on when selecting his MMA Mount Rushmore.

White’s decision to have [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] on his list was questioned by many, with his other two choices of [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] widely accepted.

The UFC CEO explained that the impact these four former champions had changed the sport.

“If you look at Ronda Rousey, which I’m sure everybody goes crazy, ‘Uh, Ronda Rousey,’ women aren’t fighting here,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Tuesday at a post-fight news conference. “The knockout that happened last weekend doesn’t happen without Ronda Rousey. Ronda Rousey opened the door for all women and became a huge superstar for us and the biggest superstar in the history of female fighting. As far as the gates, pay-per-views, attention, all of it, nobody was bigger than Ronda. She started it all.

“Conor McGregor took this sport to another level when he became not only the biggest star in the sport but one of the biggest stars in all of sports. You had NFL and NBA and soccer players mimicking Conor McGregor during the games. If you guys want to get into the Jon Jones sh*t, we can get into that. I’m obviously going to have a different criteria when you ask me who I think are because of things I know that happened inside the business and how it changed the game.”

White’s 2020 MMA Mount Rushmore included Amanda Nunes instead of Rousey, as well as Jones, Royce Gracie, and Chuck Liddell. White said he was looking at a different criteria when making his updated list.

White said even Season 1 “Ultimate Fighter” winner Forrest Griffin could make someone’s MMA Mount Rushmore based on his iconic ‘TUF Finale’ fight with Stephan Bonnar that arguably saved the UFC.

He spoke about his final choice in St-Pierre, and the kind of impact he had on Canadian MMA – pointing to the 55,724 fans who attended his UFC 129 title-fight headliner vs. Jake Shields in Toronto.

“My other one was Georges St-Pierre,” White said. “In the evolution of this company, when you think back, anybody who was around – a lot of people weren’t around then, but the people who were, when you went up to Canada with Georges St-Pierre, I’ll never forget the time we were up there. I got stuck in a corner. I’m not kidding you: thousands of people.

“That’s when I was tweeting tickets. Remember those days? When I had video blogs and I was tweeting tickets, we literally almost got killed up there one day. By killed, I mean trampled by people looking for tickets. How big that was up there at that time was absolutely insane, and it was all Georges St-Pierre.”

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John Kavanagh says Conor McGregor ready to make UFC return in 2024: ‘He’s looking very sharp to me’

John Kavanagh says Conor McGregor is ready to fight Michael Chandler right now.

[autotag]John Kavanagh[/autotag] believes [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is ready to fight Michael Chandler right now.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was scheduled to make his highly anticipated return against Chandler at UFC 303 in July but was forced out due to a broken pinky toe. McGregor initially teased a December comeback, then claimed the promotion is not going to let him fight. UFC CEO Dana White is adamant it won’t happen this year, suggesting early 2025 instead.

“Conor McGregor will fight next year, early 2025,” White told the New York Post. “He’s had so much time off, as far as the hunger, he’s a very wealthy guy. We’ll find out when he comes back, but he is definitely one of the big superstars of the sport that elevated the UFC all throughout Europe and other parts of the world. He’s been a big star and a great partner for us.”

As far as timing is concerned, McGregor’s longtime head coach says otherwise. Kavanagh said McGregor is currently in fight shape, raising further questions about his delayed return.

“If the (McGregor vs. Chandler) date came back and was confirmed for December, we’re already in heavy training, although we’re training remotely together at the moment,” Kavanagh said in an interview with “Lucky Block.” “He’s stateside on, I believe, a Forged Irish Stout tour.

“He’s visiting a couple of breweries over there, but we’re still sending each other training videos and training plans. He’s got some training partners over there and in the footage I’m getting back, he’s looking very sharp to me. If the date was now or in December, it would be a green light for me anyway.”

McGregor hasn’t competed since suffering a broken leg in an injury TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Chandler also hasn’t fought since November 2022 when he suffered a submission loss to Poirier. Chandler has chosen to put his career on hold in hopes that the lucrative McGregor fight comes to fruition.

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