UFC Hall of Famer Israel Adesanya played matchmaker for Conor McGregor’s return fight when he recovers from his knee injury.
McGregor’s comeback to the UFC after five years away from the Octagon lasted just 69 seconds when he lost via injury TKO due to a knee injury in his UFC 329 main event bout against Max Holloway. It was an incredibly anticlimactic way for the fight to end after so much buildup to it, but despite McGregor suffering yet another brutal injury, he has vowed to fight again.
If he does step back into the cage and complete the final fight on his UFC contract, then Adesanya has the perfect matchup for him.
Israel Adesanaya Pitches Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
Speaking to fellow UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson, Adesanya said that the fight he wants to see for McGregor is a rebooking of him against Michael Chandler in a fight that is several years in the making.
These two coached on “The Ultimate Fighter” season 31 in 2023, and then were paired up to fight at UFC 303 in June 2024 before McGregor withdrew with a broken toe. But now, with both men getting up there in age and with both riding losing skids, Adesanya believes it’s the right time for these two to step into the cage against each other.
“He looked distraught, like a lot of weight on him. He kind of picked at his glove for a second, so I thought, is he going to retire? I don’t think so. But a fight with Max again after a five-year layoff, you’re fighting at the top of the heap, you’re fighting one of the best to do it, that’s a hard fight to come back against. I say if he does decide to come back later on, Chandler would be the only fight that makes sense because he kind of owes Chandler that fight. He (expletive) him for two or three years while Chandler was waiting for the big-money fight. So now after ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ after all this time, it would be good for them to finally settle the score because they even have a little bit of – not beef, but they got some heat there,” Adesanya said (via MMAjunkie.com).
Conor McGregor Says He Will Fight Again
Though McGregor has suffered a devastating injury in his last two fights, he has vowed to step back into the Octagon and fight once again.
He has just one more fight left on his UFC contract, so it will be interesting to see who the UFC matches him up with if he does indeed fulfill his contract.
A fight against Chandler certainly makes sense based on everything that Adesanya said. But the UFC may also feel like they don’t want McGregor to potentially get a highlight-reel win over an aging vet like Chandler, who is chinny at this point of his career, and then become a free agent after scoring a huge knockout. It’s a business, after all, so we’ll see what the UFC matchmakers decide to do.
Israel Adesanya Plays Matchmaker for Conor McGregor’s Return