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Michael Chandler surprisingly defends Conor McGregor after disastrous UFC 329 return

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21 hours ago

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Michael Chandler surprisingly defends Conor McGregor after disastrous UFC 329 return

Michael Chandler took a surprising stance on Conor McGregor's disastrous return to the Octagon at UFC 329 last weekend.

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor's comeback fight lasted mere seconds after suffering a knee injury against Max Holloway at UFC 329. In his first fight in five years, McGregor suffered a right knee injury after opening up the fight with an attempted spinning wheel kick.

McGregor will undergo surgery on the unspecified injury and is expected to miss at least a year to recover. It was a disastrous and abrupt end to McGregor's comeback after his long road back to the Octagon.

Before McGregor squared off with Holloway, he was supposed to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303. Just weeks before the event, McGregor withdrew from the bout due to a toe injury that further postponed his attempted comeback.

After watching McGregor's comeback at UFC 329, Chandler scolded skeptics of McGregor who feel the UFC legend ‘quit' against Holloway.

Michael Chandler defends Conor McGregor after ‘quitter' labels following UFC 329

In a recent Instagram story, Chandler reacted to McGregor's disastrous return.

“I would be absolutely surprised, the most surprised person on the planet, if Conor just showed up for a paycheck. Limped in there, and said ‘I don't care', giving you guys one minute, shave his head into a mohawk, do the intros, and just bow out one minute later. One thing he is not is a quitter. He isn't a bamboozler,†Chandler said of McGregor.

“The body is unpredictable, and every fight is unpredictable. If you look at Conor, because I've had a lot of people say why would he do that? He came out like an ‘idiot' and jumped across the cage. Conor always does that. I'm just as disappointed as you guys, because T-Mobile Arena was absolutely electric…and you're talking about the guy that's supposed to be disappointed. But he finally made the walk, showed up, and I believe he wants to fight me. I believe he tried to fight me, and I believe that's how the negotiations went. But other plans were made,†Chandler continued. “And the honor and integrity to stick to it and be a man of his word since he pulled out of that fight in 2024, I think he actually wanted to be a man of his word and see through to putting his name on that dotted line that had my name on it.

“But I know everybody is disappointed, but keep on watching. This ain't the last you're going to see of Conor, and I'm excited to see how it all plays out.â€

While Chandler remains optimistic about fighting McGregor, his recent struggles in the Octagon make a potential bout highly unlikely. Chandler most recently lost to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250 and hasn't won a fight since UFC 274.

Do you think Conor McGregor will fight in the UFC again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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MMA

Cory Sandhagen details brutal hamstring injury suffered in UFC 329 loss

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10 minutes ago

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July 14, 2026

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Cory Sandhagen details brutal hamstring injury suffered in UFC 329 loss

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Cory
Sandhagen's hamstring is a mess after his loss against Mario
Bautista.

Sandhagen (18-7) took on Bautista (18-3) in a bantamweight bout at

UFC 329 in Las Vegas. While they were going toe-to-toe in the
first round, Bautista caught Sandhagen in a kneebar late in the
round, hyperextending his left leg. While “The Sandman†survived
the round, he immediately informed his corner that his leg was
compromised.

Despite Sandhagen's movement being evidently limited, he
surprisingly out-landed Bautista in the second round. The latter
then dropped Sandhagen in the third frame and accumulated control
time to earn a unanimous decision win.

Sandhagen details how a suspected hamstring tear altered his
game plan

Sandhagen has since revealed a gruesome injury to his hamstring
from Bautista's submission attempt. He believes he tore his
hamstring in the opening round, limiting his arsenal for the rest
of the fight. The 34-year-old notes that fighting at the top level
allows little margin of error.

“Frickin bummer man. Losing in fighting is the most embarrassing
thing ever. Sucks,†Sandhagen wrote on Instagram. “Pretty sure the
kneebar tore my hamstring in the first (getting MRI this week). It
kept locking out weird if I did certain things. So that kind of
messed up my game plan. Congrats to Mario. He was well prepared.
1st was close but he won it with that knee bar. 2nd, I won
(surprisingly cause leg was jacked). 3rd, I wanted to have the same
round as before but got dropped. Gotta fight near perfect to win at
the top. Something I need to get better at. Appreciate the love
from you guys. Enjoy your week. Love you. Peace.â€

This was Sandhagen's second loss on the trot, following a failed
title bid against Merab
Dvalishvili this past October. Meanwhile, Bautista has only
lost to Umar
Nurmagomedov in 11 outings since 2022 and has since rebounded
with back-to-back wins.

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MMA

Report: Trevor Peek, Kurtis Campbell added to UFC Paris card

Published

2 hours ago

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July 14, 2026

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Report: Trevor Peek, Kurtis Campbell added to UFC Paris card
A lightweight matchup for the next
Ultimate Fighting Championship card in Paris has been
unveiled.

Trevor
Peek will take on Kurtis
Campbell in a featherweight bout at UFC
Paris on Sept. 5 at Accor Arena in Paris.

Trevor Peek and Kurtis Campbell meet in a featherweight bout at
UFC Paris on Sept. 5

While Peek (9-3) came to the UFC as a highly touted prospect in
2022, he's struggled for consistency, going 2-3 in the UFC and
currently on a two-fight slump. Meanwhile, Campbell (8-1) was also
undefeated when he earned his contract with a first-round knockout
on the Contender Series last year.

He was also a big betting favorite going into his UFC debut against
Danny
Silva in front of a home crowd in London this past March. While
Campbell was leading in the first round, Silva handed the
Englishman his first professional loss with a knockout early in the
second.

The only other matchup slated for UFC Paris revealed so far is a
flyweight clash between Michael
Aljarouj and Fabia
Sintes, with both 125-pounders set to make their Octagon
debuts.

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MMA

Bogdan Guskov replaces injured Khalil Rountree in UFC Abu Dhabi main event

Published

5 hours ago

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July 14, 2026

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Bogdan Guskov replaces injured Khalil Rountree in UFC Abu Dhabi main event

UFC Abu Dhabi has a new main event with less than two weeks to
go.

Khalil
Rountree was originally scheduled to fight Magomed
Ankalaev (20-2) in the Fight Night main event on July 25 at
Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. However, Rountree is out
of the matchup due to an injury. Bogan Guskov (18-3) has stepped up
on short notice to replace the American against Ankalaev.

Magomed Ankalaev remains atop the July 25 Fight Night card

Guskov has finished all 18 of his career wins so far. The Uzbek
light heavyweight is coming off a majority draw against Jan
Blachowicz that marked the end of a four-fight finishing
streak.

Meanwhile, Ankalaev was undefeated in 13 straight outings when he
dominantly dethroned Alex
Pereira to win the light heavyweight title at
UFC 313 in March last year. However, Pereira knocked out
Ankalaev in just 80 seconds at
UFC 320 in October.

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