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Jon Anik names surprising preferred alternative to Michael Chandler for Conor McGregor’s White House return

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Jan 2, 2026 11:03 PM ET

The UFC commentator has downplayed the fight that could headline the White House event.

Conor McGregor’s last win inside the Octagon came in January of 2020 when he stopped Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds.

His back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier could have been his final outings after the significant injury that ‘The Notorious’ suffered at UFC 264.

Despite this, both McGregor and Michael Chandler appear confident that their long-awaited matchup will finally take place this year.

While it would make a lot of sense for this to be one of the big fights to take place on the White House lawn in June, one of the voices of the UFC has a different suggestion.

Jon Anik would rather see Conor McGregor fight Nate Diaz or Mauricio Ruffy

Conor McGregor isn’t being picky about who he fights in his UFC return despite stating multiple times in the past that his clash with Michael Chandler would make the most sense.

The two men competed against one another as coaches on season 31 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and were scheduled to headline UFC 303 in June 2024.

McGregor’s toe injury led to the fight being canceled and while talk at the time suggested that it would be rescheduled, that still hasn’t happened.

During a recent appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, Jon Anik said that this particular matchup “does nothing” for him.

“I would love to see Conor McGregor back in the Octagon and Michael Chandler always dons the stars and stripes of the United States of America so I think he deserves a place on the White House card but that matchup to me, it’s not a bout of consequence for me in the lightweight division,” the UFC commentator explained. “They’ll probably fight at f—— 170.”

Anik went on to specifically name two alternative opponents whom he’d rather see stand across the Octagon from ‘The Notorious’.

“I just would rather see Conor fight Nate Diaz or Mauricio Ruffy or I don’t know, somebody else.”

While a trilogy fight against Diaz would make a lot of sense, Ruffy, who has been compared to McGregor in the past and is set to take on Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325, is an unexpected pitch.