Conor McGregor out, Israel Adesanya in? Chael Sonnen predicts UFC 300’s headliner
Conor McGregor has been speculated to be the headlining fight for UFC 300, set to be the promotion's biggest card yet.
UFC CEO Dana White recently stated during an interview that the first preliminary fight of the night will have fans losing their minds, adding to the anticipation of a massive headlining fight for April's pay-per-view card.
But according to Chael Sonnen, McGregor will likely not even feature at UFC 300. Instead, 'The American Gangster' believes that Israel Adesanya will be one half of the main event, against either Sean Strickland or Dricus du Plessis, set to clash at UFC 297 in January.
Sonnen was recently interviewed by MMAJunkie, where he was asked to share his thoughts on UFC 300's potential headliner. He said:
"To have Conor McGregor back and not use him, when he's your biggest star, would be hard to bet on. However, I do think we will have a title fight in the main event. And McGregor doesn't have a title. So now if you put Conor on the card, you're putting your biggest star not in the headliner. Woah, you just demoted your top guy."
He continued:
"I think that eliminates Conor. I believe that the big rush on getting [Du Plessis] and Strickland together is because, either Adesanya is coming back... And I do think Adesanya, particularly against Du Plessis, but Adesanya in a rematch with Sean as well, would be very main event worthy."
Watch the video below from 3:10:
Michael Chandler rules out anyone else facing Conor McGregor upon his return
Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor were the respective coaches for season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, which aired from May 30 - August 15.
Following the season finale, the pair were expected to clash inside the octagon. However, delays to McGregor's re-entry into the United States Anti-Doping Agency's drug testing pool mean that the bout between Chandler and 'The Notorious' is yet to be announced.
The speculation about the next opponent of Irishman has grown throughout the year. Conor McGregor has called out several other fighters on the roster, including Justin Gaethje.
But during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Michael Chandler stood firm in his belief that McGregor will face him when he returns to the UFC. He said:
"Conor is not coming back and fighting anybody else. No matter who he talks about, no matter what things he tries to will into existence, he's coming back and he's fighting me. We did The Ultimate Fighter, we signed on the contract, we made a commitment."
Watch the video below from 15:15: