Conor McGregor will join an elite club of UFC fighters if he fights Michael Chandler at 185 pounds
Conor McGregor will add another unique achievement to his resume if he fights Michael Chandler at middleweight.
The Irishman has been on the sidelines since suffering a gruesome leg injury in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He recently announced the comeback fight against Michael Chandler in June 2024.
McGregor added a twist to his comeback story by claiming that the fight will occur in the middleweight division. Chandler, who has been campaigning for this bout since their TUF 31 coaching stint, accepted the challenge.
MMA journalist Mike Bohn highlighted the statistical significance of the fight taking place at middleweight and what it would mean for McGregor’s legacy in the sport. In a recent post on X, Bohn detailed:
“If this happens at middleweight, @TheNotoriousMMA would join Diego Sanchez & Kenny Florian as the only fighters in UFC history to fight in four weight classes (only Florian won in four). Sanchez & Florian both started at 185 and went down. McGregor started at 145 and has escalated.”
For context, 'The Notorious' has competed in three weight classes in the UFC. He started his UFC career in the featherweight division and became the champion by defeating Jose Aldo at UFC 194.
The Irishman became the first simultaneous two-division champion in the promotion’s history by dethroning Eddie Alvarez to capture the lightweight crown at UFC 205.
He also fought his bitter rival Nate Diaz and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at welterweight.
Daniel Cormier thinks Conor McGregor is playing games with Michael Chandler
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier recently gave his take on Conor McGregor’s comeback announcement.
In a video on his YouTube channel, ‘DC’ opined that McGregor’s laughter after sharing the details of his comeback suggests that he is trying to present himself as a villain in the situation.
Cormier added:
“McGregor is being the villain and you know why? Because Michael Chandler is a good guy. Michael Chandler refuses to play the bad guy even if at times, being the bad guy would play to his benefit.”
Watch Daniel Cormier share his thoughts below (3:55):
McGregor shares the record for scoring knockout wins in three different weight classes with Jared Cannonier. If he can pull off a KO victory over Michael Chandler at middleweight, it will be another addition to his list of unique accomplishments.