Conor McGregor teases clash with UFC 314 winner while sharing training footage

Paddy Pimblett and Michael Chandler square off in the co-main event of Saturday’s card in Miami

Conor McGregor has teased that he could pursue a fight with the winner of one of UFC 314’s key match-ups.

McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in an ill-fated trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in 2021, and his future in the UFC is up in the air amid recent legal issues and his apparent political aspirations.

However, the former dual-weight champion was close to fighting Michael Chandler last June, before pulling out after suffering a broken toe – just two weeks before the bout. Chandler moved on, losing to Charles Oliveira in November, and the American is due to fight Paddy Pimblett this Saturday.

While McGregor, 36, has been linked to Chandler, 38, since 2023, he is also seemingly open to a bout with “Paddy The Baddy”, should the Liverpudlian win at UFC 314.

“I am interested in the Chandler/Pimblett fight this weekend,” McGregor wrote on X/Twitter on Thursday (10 April), tagging the UFC, its ownership group TKO, and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship – of which he is a co-owner. He also shared footage of himself hitting pads as he practised his boxing.

“I seen it obviously, I got sent it by a good few people,” Pimblett said. “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.”

Chandler said: “I’m sure he’s watching. 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 organisation, 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 [our rivalry], and he’s going to be impressed by my performance on Saturday night.”

Paddy Pimblett is 6-0 in the UFC, heading into his fight with Michael Chandler (Getty)

Chandler during his second loss to Charles Oliveira, in 2024 (Getty Images)

While McGregor last fought in July 2021, losing to Poirier for the second time in six months, the Irishman last won in January 2020. On that occasion, he stopped Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds.

Meanwhile, Chandler is seeking his first win since May 2022, having since lost to Dustin Poirier and Oliveira – for the second time in his career – and having waited for a McGregor fight that never came.

Pimblett, 30, is 6-0 in the UFC and faces his sternest test yet as he fights Chandler in Miami. Last time out, the Scouser submitted King Green in Manchester in July.

Conor McGregor used a recent White House visit to criticise Ireland’s approach to immigration (AP)

In the main event of UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes vie for the vacant featherweight title, after Ilia Topuria relinquished the belt in February.

It is thought that the UFC is holding off giving McGregor a fight – the penultimate on his contract – until the promotion has signed a new TV rights deal. However, issues outside the cage also seem to be holding him back.

In November, a woman won a claim against McGregor in a civil rape case relating to a 2018 incident in Dublin. McGregor denies allegations that he “brutally” raped and “battered” Nikita Hand, and he has appealed the verdict.

And recently, McGregor has become more outspoken on political matters in Ireland, which he even discussed during a visit to the White House in the US.