Irishman and former UFC champion Conor McGregor is gearing up to make an appearance at the upcoming UFC White House card to face Michael Chandler, but this matchup doesn’t seem like a good idea to Matt Brown.
“The Notorious” has been out of the octagon since his leg injury in 2021. Despite repeated claims of making a return and months of leading Michael Chandler on in hopes of a possible bout, McGregor finally took a bold step by re-entering the drug testing pool in hopes of being selected by Dana White for the White House card.
McGregor announced he is back in training, and UFC CEO White says there might be a possibility of the Irishman headlining the event. Although McGregor will undoubtedly draw a crowd and viewership, many, like UFC veteran Matt Brown, believe a matchup with Michael Chandler isn’t the right fight for this stage.
“I guess the thing with Conor, is it going to draw the interest that we think it would?” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “We would all talk about him fighting, but Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor is a completely irrelevant fight. Right? There’s no relevance whatsoever. Does nothing other than I guess sell tickets maybe?”
Brown didn’t hold back, calling the matchup more of a spectacle than a true sporting contest.
“But if you’re going the Conor McGregor route, you’re talking about kind of more or less irrelevant fights. You’re going to bring in Ronda Rousey, now you’ve got two irrelevant fights. You’re literally just selling because of star power. For us hardcore fans, long-term, hardcore, serious fans, that doesn’t bring any interest to me at all.”
McGregor isn’t the only one teasing a comeback. UFC undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones also announced he will return to participate in the tournament. Unlike McGregor, Jones’ potential matchup with heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is one that fans actually look forward to.
“Jon Jones brings a lot to the table,” Brown said. “The GOAT, and he’d be fighting for a title, I’m sure, against Tom Aspinall, assuming Aspinall beats Ciryl Gane, too. This fight hasn’t happened yet. That could be a game changer, too.
“If you want an American, you’ve got to go with Jon Jones. There’s no one else that I can think of that would be legitimate enough. But if you’re going the Conor McGregor route, you’re talking about kind of more or less irrelevant fights. You’re literally just selling because of star power. For us hardcore fans, long-term, hardcore serious fans, that doesn’t bring any interest to me at all. Now Jon Jones fighting, particularly Tom Aspinall,nassuming he goes out and beats [Ciryl] Gane, that’s interesting.”
While McGregor and Chandler’s fight may spark headlines, Brown argues it holds little weight when it comes to rankings or title implications. According to him, both fighters will remain in the same spot regardless of the outcome. But he also believes the UFC doesn’t really care about that when it comes to matchmaking for such a massive card.
“Do they care if we talk about it Monday if they get 20 million viewers or 10 million or whatever crazy number of viewers?” Brown said. “Do they really care if we talk about it Monday? What they care about is the construction worker goes to work Monday to talk to his buddies about it. Not us that talk about the sport. They don’t give a f*ck about us.”
Still, Brown admits from a promoter’s perspective, the matchup has its place.
“If I’m Dana, I do the same thing,” Brown said. “It’s kind of a pick ’em fight, so it makes it a little bit interesting on that part. All the Americans can get behind Chandler, and Conor will love that. So that will go a long way with the media and the press and everything.”
Just like UFC veterans such as Melvin Guillard, who made headlines after retiring following an 11-year skid, McGregor and Chandler’s careers now feel less about title aspirations and more about legacy and entertainment.
At the end of the day, the UFC knows how to sell fights and this one is all about star power.
