Conor McGregor reacts to UFC ownership Endeavor inking a deal to buy WWE

Conor McGregor recently chimed in on reports of Endeavor finalizing a deal to buy the WWE.

CNBC's Alex Sherman recently reported that Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor Group, which also owns the UFC, is close to acquiring a majority stake in Vince McMahon's WWE.

McGregor congratulated the UFC and its parent company on the new deal on Twitter. 'Notorious' wrote:

"Congrats to the @ufc now worth a cool Proper $12bn. Wow! Endeavor bout to scoop the @WWE now also. Incredible. What a powerhouse!"

The UFC and WWE are expected to form a new publicly traded company that will own 51% shares of the WWE while existing shareholders would get 49%. The Endeavor-WWE deal also values the UFC at $12 billion, which is triple the net worth at which Endeavor acquired the MMA promotion in 2016.

Conor McGregor also subsequently posted a picture of himself with both WWE and UFC straps. This led to an online spat with WWE manager Paul Heyman who labeled him a "wannabe" Roman Reigns.

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UFC veteran casts doubts on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler

Conor McGregor has finally returned from two years of inaction to coach fighters on TUF 31 opposite rival coach Michael Chandler. McGregor and Chandler are also expected to meet inside the octagon at a yet-to-be-determined location and weight class later this year.

However, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has his doubts about the matchup coming to fruition. According to 'The American Gangster', the story of McGregor's abrupt return to the octagon against Chandler doesn't fully add up. The 46-year-old said on The True Geordie podcast:

"Something here isn’t passing the smell test. All of a sudden Conor’s back and he’s going to take on Chandler. Great. Why? Why are these two fighting? Moreover, when are they fighting? Where they fighting? What weight class?”

Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below:

Sonnen isn't unjust in casting doubts on the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler matchup. With the Irishman having gone 1-3 in his last four fights and taking his long hiatus into account, many questioned whether he would compete again.

McGregor is expected to be in the USADA testing pool for at least six months before his return, but is currently in a stand-off with the drug-testing agency.