- Conor McGregor has teased a much-anticipated return to the octagon
- He has placed a staggering bet on the co-main event at UFC 314 in Miami
- McGregor believes Michael Chandler will win via KO in a ‘brutal’ showdown
Conor McGregor has placed a staggering $500,000 (£382,000) bet on Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett’s showdown at UFC 314 in Miami tonight.
McGregor, who has taken an interest in the fight in a tease suggesting he could make his much-anticipated return against the winner, tipped Chandler to win via KO.
Notorious is continuing to weigh up his comeback, having last stepped into the octagon in July 2021 before suffering a horror leg break against Dustin Poirier. He was set to face Chandler last summer but was forced to pull out due to a toe injury.
Currently in Dubai, McGregor revealed he will keep a close eye on the co-main event at Kaseya Center and has sensationally put his money where his mouth is.
Posting on X on Saturday night, he said: ‘The Notorious is BACK with @Duelbits, baby! I’m callin’ it – Chandler by BRUTAL KO!’
In the following video, McGregor added: ‘The fight I’m interested in, Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett, I’m going to go with Michael Chandler to win and win by KO.
Conor McGregor has placed a staggering bet on the co-main event at UFC 314
McGregor has wagered $500,000 on Michael Chandler to beat Paddy Pimblett via KO
Notorious has teased a potential return against the winner of the showdown in Miami
‘I know Paddy’s improved in his last few outings, but I still fancy Chandler to do it.’
McGregor hinted earlier in the week that he may be considering returning to UFC, having shared a video of himself hitting pads next to a tennis court.
Alongside the clip he wrote, ‘I am interested in the Chandler/Pimblett fight this weekend’ and tagged both the UFC and owners TKO.
‘I seen it obviously, I got sent it by a good few people,’ Pimblett said about McGregor’s message. ‘I welcome that fight. That’s where the money’s at.
‘But I can’t look past Michael. I’ve got to fight Michael on Saturday night and get the win here. That’s all that matters.’
‘I’m sure he’s watching,’ Chandler said as he gave his own reaction at the UFC 314 pre-fight press conference. ‘He watches and he is very interested in coming back but can he put together a training camp? That’s the real question.
‘We don’t know. All I know is you can see by my actions fighting Charles Oliveira in November and now fighting five months later Paddy Pimblett, putting my ranking on the line, going out to brave the unknown, I’m going to stay active.
‘The first 26 months in the organization, I weighed in six times, fought five times.
‘Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, Debut of the Year, Knockout of the Year, all I do is put on great fights. I do it for you guys and on Saturday night, we’re going to do it again. I don’t really care what Conor tweets.
‘If he comes back, we’ve got to finish The Ultimate Fighter 31 and he’s going to be impressed by my performance on Saturday night.’
