After suffering a technical knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, Conor McGregor was last seen in action when he needed assistance leaving the Octagon because of a severe leg injury. This was his third straight defeat in a row and second straight against “Diamond” in his last four fights.
Across the world, fans have been calling for the superstar to return to the ring. Yet, the time spent waiting for him to heal has been significantly longer than anticipated. The waiting is over now. We know McGregor’s fight against Michael Chandler will be a highlight of the year. Fans and punters all over the world are checking the news and betting odds available. But let’s see what happened during McGregor’s absence.
Last February, Islam Makhachev, the freshly crowned lightweight champion, defended his championship in Australia against Alexander Volkanovski, the king of featherweight. Their match was one of the biggest UFC match highlights this year.
Newly crowned lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his title in Australia in February 2023 against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. One of the year’s most anticipated bouts is happening now. Kamaru Usman, a Nigerian-American who was once ranked first in the world in his weight class, will also compete for the welterweight championship after Leon Edwards knocked him out in August 2022. After Edwards became the second British fighter in UFC history with his title win, the duo will meet again in the main event of a London card in March.
And now that light-heavyweight champion and self-proclaimed “GOAT” Jon Jones is fighting Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title, we may finally watch him jump to the next weight class.
Since “Iron” became the MMA industry’s frontrunner in 2020, talk of a fight between the UFC legend and the former Bellator lightweight champion has gained significant traction. For nearly three years, the 36-year-old has demanded the battle. Yet, “Notorious” has hesitated to participate in the bout.
After a 2-2 run in the UFC, during which he challenged for the division title, won “fight of the year” in 2021, and provided multiple must-see moments in every UFC match he has competed in, Chandler has become a tremendously popular competitor in the company.
McGregor vs Chandler is one of the most anticipated matches in a while. Follow the latest interviews, see who the bookmaker favourite is, and get ready for a memorable show!