Former three-time Bellator champion and former UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler expects to return to the octagon on the UFC fight card at the White House in June.
Chandler has lobbied to be part of the historic event and wanted to settle unfinished business with former two-division titleholder Conor McGregor on the White House lawn, but the fight promotion doesn’t plan on putting that matchup together.
Chandler and McGregor coached The Ultimate Fighter 31 that aired in the 2023 summer. They was scheduled to fight in the UFC 303 main event in June 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but McGregor was forced out of the bout due to a toe injury.
Regardless who Chandler faces next, “Iron” says we should expect to see what’s become typical out of him.
“A guess (about what’s next) is what I do every single time. I’m going to go out there, I’m going to lace on the gloves and I’m going to put on the most spectacular performance of whatever night, in whatever venue, on whatever Saturday happens in 2026,” Chandler told Paramount UFC. “That’s what I do every single time. I bite down on my mouthpiece and make people feel something.”
While his next opponent remains uncertain, Chandler is confident that he’ll be competing on the upcoming UFC event at the White House in June.
“The opponent? We shall see,” he said. “We all know what I want. I think Conor wants it. The UFC has said maybe they don’t want it, so we’ll see what happens. All I know is I’ll be displaying my skills on the White House lawn I believe June 14 either way.”