Conor McGregor's Comeback, Bellator Champion Calls Out Michael Chandler, Jimi Manuwa
- Next month, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor returns to action to challenge current UFC lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in Las Vegas.
In the video above, check out part one from "The Comeback," which was released in 2015 and highlighted McGregor's meteoric rise. The Irish fighter was forced to rehab from a knee injury suffered in his second UFC bout, returning to become champion.
- Jimi Manuwa believed a win over Glover Teixeira would position him nicely in the UFC's light heavyweight division. But after Teixeira was forced out of their upcoming main event fight in Brazil, Manuwa was left between a rock and a hard place.
UFC officials wanted him to face Thiago Santos in the five-round fight. Manuwa didn't see a lot of interest in it because of his current rankings. However, as he told MMA Fighitng recently, he was "persuaded."
"I didn't see any incentive in taking the fight because it was coming from a middleweight," Manuwa said. "I wanted a good name, so I wasn't really interested in fighting, but then the UFC persuaded me to take the fight. I had a little think about it, and Thiago Santos is a good fighter, so I accepted the fight."
Manuwa added that money wasn't the ultimate decision, saying "Sometimes you want to step up and not do favor, but you've gotta tell me incentives to take the fight. They explained to me, I had a talk with my coaches and my team, and we accepted the fight."
- Not too often will you see a champion make a bold call-out of a challenger, but that is what Brent Primus has done. The reigning Bellator lightweight champion is demanding Michael Chandler sign a contract to face him.
Primus won the belt vs. Chandler last year, injuring the then-champion and forcing the doctor to stop the fight. Chandler recently signed a new deal that will keep him with Bellator.
@MikeChandlerMMA sign the contract b—h! Sick of waiting! You can fight @Ealvarezfight or who ever after I'm done with you?????? @BellatorMMA @IridiumSports @arielhelwani
? Brent Primus (@brentprimus155) September 1, 2018