Daniel Cormier mapped Conor McGregorMichael Chandler’s future after UFC 303, whether he wins or loses against Michael Chandler.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returns from a nearly three-year layoff in a welterweight bout against Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) on June 29 in Las Vegas (pay -per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). He recently said he hopes to fight three times in 2024.
If McGregor beats Chandler, Cormier wants to see the former two-division UFC champion back in title contention.
“If he gets past Michael Chandler, I say give him a title fight,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good/Bad” with Chael Sonnen. “Put him in there with (Dustin) Poirier or (Islam) Makhachev on Mexican Independence Day or soon after. You don’t want him to have too much time.
If McGregor fails against Chandler, he will be on a three-fight losing streak. Cormier thinks it would be the perfect time for McGregor to resolve his dispute with Tony Ferguson’s skid.
“If he loses, put him in there with Tony Ferguson,” Cormier said. “Tony Ferguson deserves to have that big platform last time to see if he can do what he said he would do with Conor all those times and so long ago.”
Another rivalry that Cormier wants to see resolved is McGregor x Max Holloway, which comes from an iconic last second Justin Gaethje knockout at UFC 300. Holloway lost to McGregor in 2013, but was the only fighter to go the distance with McGregor at featherweight.
“In December, let him do Max Holloway,” Cormier said. “Let him and Max Holloway fight. I want to see Conor McGregor-Max Holloway today, not when they were kids. The first time they fought, they were children. I want to see Max Holloway have the opportunity to right that wrong against Conor McGregor, especially if it’s the Max Holloway we saw fight Justin Gaethje.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 303.
