Chael Sonnen Doubts Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler Will Ever Happen, Reveals Why He Isn’t Buying a 2026 Return
Chael Sonnen is not convinced that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will clash in 2026. While McGregor and Chandler have both confirmed on social media that they will lock horns when the UFC heads to the South Lawn of the White House next year, the promotion has not confirmed the same, with CEO Dana White previously saying that the planning of the White House card fight lineup will start in February.
Chandler believes the fight will take place and has also revealed that McGregor has brought in training partners to replicate the former’s fight style, which makes ‘Iron’ believe that the fight is confirmed. The Dubliner has vowed to live in the gym, has been in the testing pool, and is reportedly set to be in a six-month fight camp ahead of his much-anticipated UFC return.
Why is Chael Sonnen not convinced that Conor McGregor is returning?
Chael Sonnen is not convinced that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will fight in 2026. In a recent YouTube video, Sonnen explained why.
Despite being impressed by McGregor’s latest training footage and believing McGregor still possesses speed despite putting on weight, the UFC Hall of Famer isn’t buying a 2026 Return. Fighters who find the fight life difficult, particularly when it comes to making weight, retire before stepping on the scales. Sonnen thinks it will be difficult for McGregor to cut weight, and to make things worse for him, UFC will want a five-round fight to “get the minutes” out of their biggest star.
Although ‘The Notorious’ is training, Sonnen believes that uploading training clips and self-promotion is not a good sign because the UFC would undoubtedly use better footage and clips to promote him if he ultimately fights next year.
Sonnen opines that Conor McGregor wants to keep his “image” as a fighter “alive,” and although the Dubliner is a fight promoter, a pub owner, and much more, he is first a fighter; thus, keeping that image alive is the most important thing, as if it were to die, he would also perish. But his trying to keep his image as a fighter alive on his own is not a good sign.
“Conor, the image is a fighter. Not an actor, not a pub owner, not a bareknuckle promoter, he is a fighter. The image of Conor. And when an image dies, the person can die…. If you are Conor and you must keep the image alive, you do not have to put out training videos sideways from an iPhone of you in a dingy garage at 2 am. The UFC is going to put out the beautiful, well-promoted videos, and they will do it in a few months.”
The 48-year-old then added that he is not convinced of Conor McGregor’s return:
“Where does Conor go after a win over Chandler? Where does he go? It’s not usually the kind of match they would put on. I thought Conor looked good. I really did. I don’t think you can look good even in a 20-second clip unless there is other hard work around it. And his body looked good; his muscles looked good. His speed was good. think that he is getting a little bit more exercise than maybe we are aware of. Does it mean he is going to fight? I am not convinced.”
Check out Chael Sonnen’s comments about Conor McGregor below (9:40, 12:07):
