Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are sure to have plenty of opportunities to hurl insults at one another before UFC 303, but that hasn’t stopped them from starting the festivities early.
Both fighters took to social media following the announcement of their highly anticipated June 29 welterweight clash, which was made official at this past Saturday’s UFC 300 post-fight presser. The bout was first teased by McGregor in December this past New Year’s Eve, with “The Notorious” initially teasing that the matchup would take place at 185 pounds.
Now that pen has finally been put to paper, McGregor and Chandler have begun to hype their grudge match, with McGregor kicking things off with a cryptic voice message.
“We’re going to fight right now?” McGregor said in an exaggeratedly terrified voice. “We’re going to do this right now? Right here, right now?”
Chandler responded with a sing-song message that was equally brief.
“Conor… it’s too late to be scared,” Chandler said.
McGregor and Chandler’s feud already has a lengthy history, with Chandler having campaigned for a bout with the former two-division champion long before they were cast as opposing coaches on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter. It was assumed that the two would be booked against one another following the conclusion of their season, but no official announcement was made until this past weekend.
When McGregor makes that walk to the octagon, it will be his first fight in almost three years. McGregor broke his leg in a fight against rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021 and has since been recovering, while also pursuing other entertainment projects, including a starring role in the recent Road House remake. He has not won a fight since defeating Donald Cerrone in January 2020.
Chandler, a three-time Bellator lightweight champion that has also challenged for a UFC title, has lost three of his past four fights. Though his UFC record sits at just 2-3, he has already captured four post-fight bonuses including a pair of Fight of the Night awards. His UFC 268 brawl with Justin Gaethje was voted Fight of the Year by MMA Fighting.
UFC 303 caps off the promotion’s annual International Fight Week event and takes place June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
