UFC 303: McGregor vs. Chandler

The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

I don’t want the UFC to add new divisions in the UFC, adding new division would just make division more shallow and less people will fight each other. 

@el_tabarnako 

you realize none of those guys would move up from 155 right? It would only be people moving down from 170, particularly colby and people who are naturally around 185. No one is going to give up a weight advantage by moving up unless they're on a particularly brutal weight cut. Also, they would either make it 162.5 or move welterweight up to 175. 

As for the people saying it would "dilute the belts" - you're silly if you actually think going from 11 to 12 belts is going to delegitimize the entire company...  It would marginally decrease the prestige of champs and irrelevant people would cry about it on X for a couple months, but that's it. 
The ideal might be to make it 165, move welterweight up to 175, move light heavy down to 200, and then everything above is heavyweight. 10lbs between all classes, with 15lbs between LHW & MW-  just seems like the best after thinking for a min; if all the technicals work out. 

* Edited at 02.18.2024, 3:46 AM ET *

@onethirtyfiveSoto 

I reckon it will probably happen eventually, especially as the sport gets more and more talent. 

@flyingchiimp12 

The commissions set the weight classes. They added 165, 175, and even 195 in July of 2017. I doubt they'd add one at 162.5 as well.

i think mcgregor vs chandler and poirier vs islam is here

(6) Michael Chandler vs (UR) Conor McGregor
(C) Sean O'Malley vs (1) Merab Dvalishvili
(4) Colby Covington vs (7) Ian Garry
(12) Rafael Dos Anjos vs (UR) Paddy Pimblett
(2) Tatiana Suarez vs (3) Amanda Lemos

Merab and O'Malley isn't gonna be a co-main at all and Dana knows that too so that'd unrealistic 

Cody Durden said on social media that he is excited to fight on the McGregor vs Chandler undercard. To be honest, it may be that his management tipped him off before or after signing the contract to fight Hernandez, people like Ali Abdelaziz and Audie Attar (Paradigm Sports CEO) have access due to the closeness they may have to Dana White and the matchmakers. (taking into account that Ali is practically the manager of 50% of the roster in the UFC). 

Personally, International Fight Week is probably the most important moment on the calendar for the UFC year after year and apart from the International Expo, the UFC always tries to put on a featured Main Event like at the time it was Volkanovski vs. Yair, Jones vs. Santos (with Nunes vs. Holm as Co-Main), Stipe vs. Cormier 2, Adesanya vs. Cannonier (with Volk vs. Holloway 3 as Co-Main) and even McGregor vs. Mendes (originally it was going to be Aldo vs. McGregor and they had the classic between Lawler vs. McDonald as Co-Main). 

Whether McGregor is available to fight in June will depend on how many commitments he has to promote the film with Jake Gyllenhaal, but I am sure that either at the UFC 300 Press Conference or during the event the Main Event for UFC 303 (PPV on International Fight Week) will be announced.

I don't think it will get announced that soon but if the UFC actually still values Conor and doesn't want to hardball him they could put him in the comain as he wants a 3 round fight for his return (and 5 rounds favours chandler imo) and put Dustin vs Islam as the main. Tbh any championship fight would do because you know Conor is gonna sell even if the main is like Raquel but the UFC might say **** that and put him as a main anyway since he is the only person that can headline a PPV without a belt being on the line per their agreement with ESPN and they might want to keep the championship fight to fill up another PPV card.

Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson added

Waterson-Gomez vs. Robertson
Gillian Robertson, SUB, R2
i would have went waterson if she wasnt so old and just quitting her last few fights gillian does what she always does takedown spam find the sub onto the next

Hernandez vs. Tsuruya
Rei Tsuruya, SUB, R1
Rei via murder

For anyone who thinks Robertson is a lock - 

Rewatch Waterson Vs. Esparza and tell me how much confidence you still have 

Connor vs Chandler announced, 5 rounds, 170.

Dustin VS Islam Islam RD2 Submission 

Conor VS Chandler Chandler KO Round 1

Strickland VS Costa Strickland by SD

McGregor vs. Chandler
Conor McGregor, TKO, R2
for the memes. mcgregor vs holloway 2 for the bmf please 🙏

I'm really high on Tsuruya...I think he's as close as you can get to having a young prodigy

His wrestling,BJJ, and clinch game are world class but his striking is alot like Tatsuro Taira's when he first got into the UFC, as long as he can improve his striking and not be one dimensional there's a decent chance he makes it to the top. 

* Edited at 04.14.2024, 8:03 PM ET *

McGregor vs. Chandler
Conor McGregor, TKO, R1
If conor comes into this fight with his vintage style he is gonna counter chandler so bad and put him away but if conor isnt in that karate stance and his movement is worse than chandler's getting it done. I just think that if conor is focused, motivated and smart with a game plan he can **** up chandler badly in the first round. Chandler has such **** fight iq and i think he will play right into conor's hands. But its totally possible that conor isnt the same after the leg break but i think nearly 3 years is enough time to recover enough to the point where he's able to fight.

I’m just really scared that Conor will come out and either blow his leg out (again) or just absolutely suck. I really hope he doesn’t pull a CCC or a Colby Covington and be too past his prime to come back. Praying he fights well or atleast puts up a good effort to either win or lose that will get him back into the UFC ranks.