Dana White provides latest update on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, says he would "love" to book the fight for this year
Dana White recently provided the latest update regarding the status of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler and the likelihood of a new date being announced. The UFC CEO expressed interest in booking the fight for this year after their initial plans fell through.
'The Notorious' vs. 'Iron' was set to headline UFC 303 during the promotion's annual International Fight Week, but the Irishman was forced to pull out of the fight due to a broken pinky toe. Despite the injury, it didn't appear to require a lengthy recovery process as McGregor appeared at Bellator Champions Series: Dublin, where he mentioned that the injury was a small setback.
During his appearance on today's episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the UFC CEO answered whether McGregor vs. Chandler is still the plan for the promotion and how soon it could take place. White mentioned that there still isn't a date targeted for the bout but remained hopeful that he could book it before the end of the year. He said:
"That's the fight [McGregor vs. Chandler] that needs to happen. We've been waiting for it, it's an awesome fight, it's a fun fight. And yeah, as I'm sitting here right now no, I don't have a date for it or a plan or anything like that. And obviously, me, the fans and ESPN would love [that fight] to happen in 2024. But we'll see what happens."
Dana White discusses UFC 306 at the Sphere
In addition to Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, Dana White also revealed the layout for UFC 306, which is scheduled to take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
During the aforementioned appearance, the UFC CEO noted that he wants to put on the greatest live sporting event ever seen and revealed that there will be a unique setup. White promised that he would only host an event at the venue once and that it would be a memorable one. He said:
"So you're gonna have the people that are in the seats...in the suites and then the bottom level where people are actually standing and will watch the whole thing standing room only...I'm already $17 million into this thing and we're not anywhere near September yet...It's gonna be the most unique, bada** incredible show you've ever seen in sports."
Check out Dana White's comments below: