Joe Rogan suggests Michael Chandler for Conor McGregor comeback fight

"

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 03: (L-R) Conor McGregor pushes Michael Chandler during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter at UFC APEX on March 03, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) | Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Joe Rogan thinks the UFC should not stick with Max Holloway for Conor McGregor’s comeback fight. In July, McGregor made his long-awaited return to the cage after a five-year absence, rematching Holloway in the main event of UFC 329. Unfortunately for McGregor, the bout lasted just over a minute as he blew out his knee throwing a jumping switch kick moments into the fight. Now McGregor is on the shelf for a year while he recovers, and the former two-division champion is already talking about a trilogy bout with Holloway next summer. But Rogan thinks the UFC should return to the original plan for McGregor’s comeback fight: Michael Chandler. “Look, if Conor McGregor really does come back a year from now, I think he wants to fight Max Holloway. ‘I’ve got to finish what I’ve started!’ But really, Chandler was the right fight for him anyway,” Rogan said on his podcast. “Because they were supposed to fight, they did The Ultimate Fighter together, they were supposed to fight a long time ago, and then Conor breaks his [toe] and all that jazz. They were supposed to fight forever ago. “That would have been a fun fight. A good fight for Conor because Chandler is, like, he’s very aggressive. He gets hit. But Chandler is tough as shit, man, and he’s a really good wrestler, whereas Conor, in his prime, was one of the best strikers ever. It would have been fun.” Chandler was McGregor’s original comeback opponent, with the two scheduled to fight each other at UFC 303 in 2024. McGregor withdrew from that bout after breaking his toe, and by the time McGregor was ready to return, the UFC pivoted away from Chandler, who had lost two more fights by then. Instead, the promotion selected Holloway, but Rogan thinks that’s a tough task for McGregor, even at the best of times. “Max Holloway is a different cat,” Rogan said. “Max Holloway is a five-rounder. You’d better have all of your Ts crossed, and your Is dotted if you want to go five rounds with Max motherf*cking Holloway, because that dude doesn’t fade. Period. He’s there in that fifth round, throwing bombs at you. And Conor’s been a guy who is real good in the first few rounds, but then his style is so explosive, it’s so energy-demanding that he fades. He faded in the Nate Diaz fight. He’s faded before. Because he tries to get you out of there. He tries to just explode on you, and if you’re still there and that gas tank gets emptied, it gets tough.” McGregor is planning to return to action next summer, potentially at International Fight Week, though much will depend on how his ACL surgery and recovery proceed. TOP STORIES DWCS. Season 10, Week 4 results: 5 UFC contracts handed out after night of finishes. Intense. Matt Brown backs Usman Nurmagomedov after altercation with Song Yadong: ‘It’s an absolutely intense, crazy situation.’ BKFC. BKFC president David Feldman reacts to Mike Perry’s injury in loss and his future in bare-knuckle fighting. No. No. No. Shogun Rua wants Glover Teixeira rematch in boxing; Anderson Silva suggests ‘safer’ alternative. Fight. Khamzat Chimaev calls for fights with Sean Strickland, 3 others for UFC return. My man. Arman Tsarukyan wants ‘at least 5’ lightweight title defenses to break Islam Makhachev’s UFC record. Main event. Brendan Allen faces top middleweight in UFC Vegas 122 main event. VIDEO STEW MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin chats with UFC Paris headliner Dan Hooker. Dana White Contender Series scrum. Contender Series highlights. Blaine breakdown. Training with Volk. FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR Fighter vs. Writer. MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin and UFC veteran Matt Brown react to Song Yadong’s shocking knockout over Umar Nurmagomedov and the post-fight altercation with Usman Nurmagomedov, plus Mike Perry’s wild week, and more. View Link SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE Big Ank. I was being told by my team today that Paulo Costa turned down a fight with me for THIRD time now, I would turn the fight against me also. — Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) September 1, 2026 The reason I want to fight Paulo Costa is not because he is an easy fight, he’s a great competitor and I want to test my skills against his skills. None of this is personal. — Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) September 2, 2026 Faceoff. First face off of fight week 👀 Dan Hooker and Salahdine Parnasse come face to face for the first time!#UFCParis | Live Sunday | 🇦🇺 Paramount+ | 🇳🇿 TVNZ+ pic.twitter.com/62zc48m02o — UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) September 1, 2026 Probably true, but still feels weird. View this post on Instagram He’s back. View this post on Instagram Uncle Chael. Oh geez, i did not take it as laughing at all. Mike was EXCELLENT on the call. https://t.co/PTYiEK7AL0 — Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) September 1, 2026 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Brendan Allen (27-7) vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (15-2); UFC Vegas 122, Oct. 10 FEED ME MORE A month away. FINAL THOUGHTS We have an app! Download our app! It’s free, and I like it a lot. Get the best of MMA Fighting on the new SB Nation app If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKLee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and like us on Facebook.