UFC's Michael Chandler Calls Out Conor McGregor On WWE Raw

The first notable UFC and WWE crossover under the TKO banner sees Chandler call out Notorious.

by Andrew Pollard
WWE Raw Michael Chandler
WWE

Last night's WWE Raw saw the first notable WWE and UFC crossover since both companies came together under the TKO banner.

With certain TKO executives in attendance for Raw, one other person in that vicinity was Michael Chandler. Having had long, long-standing issues with Conor McGregor, Chandler was introduced by Samantha Irvin and proceeded to cut a promo calling for McGregor to get "his candy ass back to the Octagon".

The Chandler vs. McGregor fight is one that's been easily over a year in waiting, with the pair being opposing coaches on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter which began filming at the start of 2023.

For those not familiar with The Ultimate Fighter, that reality show features 16 fighters competing for a UFC contract. These fighters are split into two teams, with each team headed up by a UFC veteran - for TUF31, that'd be Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor - with those veterans eventually squaring off on PPV.

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In the case of Chandler and McGregor, that fight has still yet to take place, despite TUF31 finishing at UFC 292 back in August. Notorious has recently suggested that he'll face Michael Chandler possibly in June, and Chandler himself has been holding off on committing to any other fights until he gets the chance to face McGregor.

As it stands, Michael Chandler hasn't fought since a November 2022 loss to Dustin Poirier, whilst McGregor hasn't fought since July 2021 - which was likewise a defeat to Poirier in a fight that was stopped after the Irishman broke his tibia.

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While fight fans are obviously keen to see Chandler vs. McGregor finally happen, certain wrestling fans are now speculating that the two could do something in the pro wrestling world...

 
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.