Has Conor McGregor let the cat out of the bag too early? Despite the UFC not sanctioning anything yet, The Notorious took to X to announce the date, venue, and opponent for his next fight. What’s more, the Irishman also knows what weight class he’ll be fighting in, and it’ll be a larger McGregor in the Octagon than we’ve ever seen before.
Speculation had been rife that the first MMA fighter to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously would return to fight three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler at UFC 300 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13.
According to McGregor, this speculation is only partly correct – his next opponent will be Michael Chandler, and the fight will take place in Las Vegas, but it won’t happen at UFC 300 in April. Instead, his eagerly awaited MMA return will happen during International Fight Week on June 29, and he and Chandler will face up at a weight of 185 lbs.
Neither fighter has ever fought in the Middleweight class before, which will add a little more intrigue to McGregor’s long-awaited return. Could Conor McGregor’s announcement on X perhaps be smoke and mirrors, though?
Think about it. McGregor has headlined the five highest-selling pay-per-view (PPV) events in MMA history, with his UFC 229 fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov drawing the most ever buys for an MMA event, with 2.4 million. If The Notorious is octagon-ready, as he and his manager have claimed, would it not make sense for the UFC to bring the Irish drawcard back at the landmark UFC 300 event?
At the time of writing, UFC CEO Dana White has only announced three matches for the big event, and none of them compare to having Conor McGregor on the card. Former UFC champion Jiří Procházka will fight Aleksandar Rakić, while another former champion, Aljamain Sterling takes on Calvin Kattar. The third bout sees the undefeated Bo Nickal entering the octagon with Cody Brundage.
Sure, these matchups will appeal to MMA fans and sports bettors alike, but they won’t set any records or stir up a betting frenzy before the event – not like having Conor McGregor on the card would, at any rate.
White said on Instagram that he’d announce more UFC 300 fights when he returns from his Bali vacation. With McGregor’s self-announced June fight against Chandler remaining unsanctioned by the UFC CEO at present, could the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2021 have played the perfect marketing card before a dramatic UFC announcement changes the fight’s date to April 13 at UFC 300?
Such a move would make sense. UFC 300 PPV buys would skyrocket, and activity through the best online sportsbooks and betting sites in the US would hit a fever pitch in anticipation of the return of one of sports entertainment’s most prestigious names after a two-and-a-half-year absence.
The best online sportsbooks are available throughout the United States and provide secure betting markets for a variety of sports. Since they are based offshore, players can easily access the sites from any location. Moreover, they provide better odds, have better sports coverage, and come with extra banking options, such as cryptocurrencies (source: https://www.techopedia.com/gambling/best-online-sportsbooks).
Whatever the case, we eagerly await Dana White’s announcement. Before that happens or the UFC officially sanctions Conor McGregor vs Michael Chander in June, there’s still a chance that UFC 300’s headline event could be much larger than anybody expects.
