“The Ultimate Fighter 31” figures to be one of the more intriguing
seasons in recent memory.
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UFC president Dana White on Saturday announced
that Conor
McGregor and Michael
Chandler will serve as coaches on “TUF 31” before squaring off
in the Octagon later this year. The series will premiere on May 30
via ESPN/ESPN+ and runs through Aug. 15. A date and venue for
McGregor vs. Chandler was not confirmed.
McGregor will be making his second appearance on the long-running
reality show after serving as a coach opposite Urijah Faber
on “TUF 22” in 2015. The Dublin native hasn’t competed since July
10, 2021, when he broke his leg in a loss to Dustin
Poirier at UFC 264. McGregor has lost three of his last four
promotional appearances dating back to October 2018.
Chandler, who has openly campaigned for a fight against McGregor,
is coming off a 1-1 campaign in 2022. After scoring a
highlight-reel front kick knockout of Tony
Ferguson at UFC 274, the ex-Bellator champ suffered a
third-round submission loss to Poirier at UFC 281 this past
November.