Jon Anik "cautiously optimistic" about Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, shares possible date for fight

Fight fans are waiting impatiently for the official announcement of the fight date for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler. The two have been cast as rival coaches for The Ultimate Fighter season 31, and the official poster that was released recently has spurred speculation that a bout date would be confirmed shortly.

Jon Anik, the play-by-play commentator for the UFC, has been a mainstay in the broadcast booth, so one would assume he has direct knowledge of the organization's most recent developments.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, Anik offered some insight into when the prospective Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight would transpire. According to him:

"I do think you're going to see Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor in the octagon at some point in 2023. I share Chael Sonnen's disappointment that we do not have an actual fight announcement, we don't necessarily even have a weight class..... But I have said this repeatedly, the competitive edge that McGregor is trying to scratch, can only be scratched in one venue in the world... and that's the octagon."

Anik added:

"I do believe that he will be back.... But he looks strong and doesn't look close to 171-pounds right now. I don't know exactly what his timeline is, but I'm cautiously optimistic that come Halloween, we will have seen Conor McGregor."

The MMA world as a whole has echoed Anik's comments, given that McGregor has recently been on a drinking spree and does not appear to be in prime fighting shape. Furthermore, the weight class for the fight has yet to be determined, despite both lightweight contenders verbally consenting to a fight in the welterweight or middleweight divisions.

Catch Jon Anik's comments below (5:00):

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Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler: UFC welterweight believes 'The Notorious' is motivated to make his octagon return soon

If Conor McGregor does return to action in 2023, it will be one of the biggest spectacles of the year without question. While he has finished filming for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, a date for the fight with his rival coach Michael Chandler has not been confirmed.

While filming TUF, fight fans were thrilled to see McGregor working alongside UFC welterweight and fan favourite Stephen Thompson. Thompson claims that he was in Las Vegas to film a commercial when he was offered the chance to train with McGregor. After the "awesome" training session, he decided to spend a few days training with McGregor and his TUF team.

Speaking about the training session and what fans can expect from Conor McGregor when he returns to action in a recent interview with Chamatkar Sandhu, Thompson stated:

"He inspires his team, he’s 100% in with his team every step of the way which I love because that’s what I do for a living. I teach for a living. To be able to see him with compassion for those guys and want to see them win, he puts everything into his guys. I love that. Oh yeah [he’s motivated to be back], I could see it every time he talks, every punch he threw, he was like swinging at somebody. You could see it in him.”

Check out the full interview below: