The MMA world continues to wait for the official return of its all-time biggest star.

It feels like Conor McGregor will never fight again. At age 35, the iconic figure is getting ready to bask in the Hollywood spotlight at its fullest after the release of the trailer for his first big movie role in Road House. “The Notorious” has maintained that he will be coming back to fight again this year despite his absence since July 2021. It’s just a matter of whether or not it will still be against his originally planned opponent and rival coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31, Michael Chandler.

McGregor kicked off 2024 by claiming his return fight against Chandler would be in June at middleweight. UFC CEO Dana White has since denied his former two-division champion’s words, leaving everyone in this nonstop vortex of speculation. Therefore, other possibilities could be afloat, and UFC 300 still needs a main event. That brings McGregor’s fellow former double champion Daniel Cormier to the conclusion that the UFC should pivot to a Nate Diaz trilogy bout. Although McGregor doesn’t need a specific opponent to bring the ultimate attraction, says Cormier, he proposes to go with the biggest possible option.

“If McGregor fights Diaz, that is what I believe draws the general fan in as much as anything that they could do in the UFC right now,” Cormier said on DC & RC. “Just because of Nate Diaz and the intrigue, the way the first fight played out, the way the second fight played out. It is still two of the highest-grossing pay-per-views in UFC history.

“These two men when you put them together make a lot of money and it is far enough out there to be considered an attraction. I also believe at this point in their careers, sure, Nate Diaz isn’t the guy he was before. He’s not the guy that fought the most beautiful striking exhibit against Michael Johnson in Florida, where he went and, ‘Conor McGregor, you’re taking everything I worked for.’ He’s not that same guy, but neither is Conor McGregor.”

The McGregor-Diaz rivalry took place in 2016 and started with Diaz’s epic short-notice upset win via second-round rear-naked choke at UFC 196. At UFC 202, they ran things back and put on a show for five rounds that saw the Irishman even the score with a majority decision victory. Each has gone 2-3 in their five bouts since then when including Diaz’s boxing debut against Jake Paul last year.

It’s already been somewhat of a nightmare come true for Chandler to go through this whole process. The former three-time Bellator lightweight champion last fought in November 2022, missing out on all of last year simply due to sticking to the hopes of fighting McGregor. Ultimately, Cormier believes it might just be best to move on for either man, especially if Chandler still has title aspirations.

“I think Michael Chandler is actually stepping back to fight Conor McGregor,” Cormier said. “I think Michael Chandler is leaving the elite of that division right now, and stepping back to fight Conor. He’s choosing the name and the money over competition.

“Michael Chandler still has championship ideas in his mind, and competitively, he is taking a step back. The reality is this: when you watch who Dustin [Poirier] is fighting now, Benoit Saint-Denis. Who Charles Oliveira is fighting now in Arman Tsarukyan. There is still [Rafael] Fiziev out there. If you fight Fiziev and you beat Fiziev, now you’re back on the shortlist because no fight is gonna get him a title fight right now, but there are fights that are gonna get him closer.”

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TOP STORIES

Aftermath. Chris Curtis: Sean Strickland doing well after UFC 297 loss, fighting ‘doesn’t define him as a person’

Status. Aljamain Sterling: ‘Comical’ that UFC stacked 299 ‘to make it feel like’ Sean O’Malley is the draw

Tough. Matt Brown expects Kayla Harrison to go through hell making bantamweight: ‘There’s no right way to almost kill yourself’

Nope. Larissa Pacheco: Cris Cyborg calling for UFC 300 slot a ‘cry for help’, unsure if Cyborg wants to fight her

Triple C-Ya? Henry Cejudo teases potential second retirement with UFC 298 loss: ‘It’s all or nothing’

Careful. UFC 298 fighters advised about marijuana testing, possible fines and weight-cutting rules in California

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VIDEO STEW

BROADENED HORIZIN.

Sound & Pound: UFC welterweight Oban Elliott checks in.

Free fight.

The War Room: Dolidze vs. Imavov.

Champ camp.

Aspinall and MVP.

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LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses if Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler could end up headlining UFC 300 after all.

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MORNING MUSIC

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Lift it.

Newcomer.

Autographs.

Throwback.

Story time.

Unblocked!

Finally.

Guy is wrecked.

Signed.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Corey Anderson (17-6) vs. Karl Moore (12-2); Bellator Belfast, March 22

Mohammed Usman (10-2) vs. Mick Parkin (8-0); March 23, UFC Vegas 89

Edmen Shahbazyan (12-4) vs. Duško Todorović (12-4); UFC Vegas 89, March 23

Junior Tafa (5-1) vs. Karl Williams (9-1); UFC Vegas 89, March 23

Dariya Zheleznykova (8-1) vs. Montserrat Rendon (6-0); UFC Vegas 89, March 23

Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza (15-3) vs. Keita Nakamura (36-11-2); RIZIN Landmark 9, March 23

Igor Tanabe (5-0) vs. Kiichi Kunimoto (20-11-2); RIZIN Landmark 9, March 23

Trevor Peek (9-1) vs. Charlie Campbell (8-2); UFC Vegas 90, April 6

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FINAL THOUGHTS

This feels like a repetitious statement, but I still want to see McGregor vs. Chandler purely for the fact that the idea of that matchup has wasted an entire year and counting of Chandler’s career. An absolute travesty of the highest order.

Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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