“Conor McGregor Wants to Be the First”: Henry Cejudo Breaks Down Motive Behind 185-Pound Call Out for Michael Chandler

After almost three years away from the octagon, Conor McGregor announced his return on 1st January 2024 through a video on X. Along with the announcement McGregor also revealed Michael Chandler as his opponent. A number of UFC stars including Henry Cejudo shared their thoughts on McGregor’s return.

Leading up to the new year, Conor McGregor had stated that he would announce his return to the UFC on the first day of the year. The Irishman kept his word when he announced details regarding his return. ‘The Notorious’ stated that he would be returning to UFC action in June 2024 during international fight week. Apart from naming Chandler as his opponent, McGregor also disclosed the weight class for the fight which caught fans by surprise. The Irishman announced that the fight would take place at 185-pounds.

Former double champion Henry Cejudo took to YouTube to share his thoughts on why Conor McGregor chose middleweight. In the video he said,

“Since the beginning he has said we’re going to be fighting at 185-pounds. Maybe Conor wants to be the first person to say, hey I fought in four different weight classes in the UFC. Which is absolutely crazy. Conor has gotten big. But for that weight class Conor is short. But guess what so is Michael Chandler. They’re both two short stocky dudes that are going to be firing at 185-pounds.”

Cejudo went on to give his props to Chandler for playing the long game. He said,

“Michael Chandler did a really good job of just waiting. Because you know why? Conor McGregor is a cash cow. I mean I would wait almost two years to fight Conor…. Those are a whole lot of M’s coming your way Michael Chandler.”

Cejudo did have a point about ‘The Notorious’ making his move to 185-pounds. But is this a realistic fight for Conor McGregor given his success in the featherweight and lightweight division? Lets take a closer look.

Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler; which weight class will it take place at?

Conor McGregor has fought in only three weight classes so far in the UFC. The last time ‘The Notorious’ fought at welterweight was in January 2020 against Cerrone. While ‘The Notorious’ states that the fight will take place at 185-pounds, fans expected the fight to take place in a different weight division.

In all likelihood, fans expected the fight between him and Chandler to take place at 155-pounds. When Chandler called out McGregor in UFC 274 post fight interview he wanted to fight McGregor at 170 pounds. However, with McGregor’s announcement it would be interesting to see if the fight will indeed take place at 185-pounds or not.