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UFC Fans React to Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler UFC 303 Announcement

McGregor vs. Chandler is finally on.

Zain Bando

Jul 9, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Spectators take pictures of Conor McGregor as he makes his way out,
Jul 9, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Spectators take pictures of Conor McGregor as he makes his way out, / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

In the aftermath of UFC 300 Saturday night (or morning depending on location), UFC CEO Dana White revealed two main events for June, one of which being UFC 303 June 29 in Las Vegas.

Over a year in the making, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will lock horns in a welterweight main event that was spearheaded by the pair coaching opposite one another on TUF 31 last summer, but the fight never materialized.

As such, International Fight Week, which is scheduled for the week of June 24, will feature McGregor making his return to the Octagon for the first time since July 2021, suffering a gruesome leg break at the hands of Dustin Poirier in their trilogy at UFC 264.

How did fans react to the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight announcement?

As expected, fans were up in arms across social media, as were assembled media members when White made the fight official at the post-fight presser.

White called rumors of a video package "internet bulls***" before reading off the paper that revealed McGregor-Chandler as official.

The fight will be contested at welterweight and be a five-round affair, as it will serve as the night's main event. McGregor has won exactly one fight since Nov. 2016, while Chandler has been absent from MMA since Nov. 2022. Both men have been in five-round fights previously, but Chandler has yet to hold a UFC belt while McGregor has held both the lightweight and featherweight belts at the same time.

Tickets go on-sale at the end of April, as T-Mobile Arena will be the backdrop.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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