The future of the UFC

At the UFC 300 Post-fight presser, Dana White announced three new fights for the upcoming cards this summer.

We knew these fights were going to be made, but this presser confirmed them and now the hype and promotion can really begin to build.

Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the octagon on June 29 at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler after three years away from the sport.

We all probably remember his last UFC fight when he broke his leg against Poirier, but if not, it’s one of, if not the most memorable post-fight interviews of all time.

Interestingly enough, Chandler’s last fight was also against Dustin Poirier who submitted him at UFC 284 in Nov. 2022.

Since then, both have gone on to coach against each other in The Ultimate Fighter series, and the tension definitely boiled over.

There is no doubt that McGregor is the biggest star in the history of the sport, and to have this fight finally on the books, and against such an exciting opponent like Chandler, UFC fans must be delighted with this card.

If you've got the time for a McGregor marathon, or are unaware of his star power, I highly recommend this video.

Dustin Poirier also had his next fight announced in the aftermath of UFC 300. He will be fighting for the Lightweight Title against Islam Makhachev.

Poirier is coming off an electric win over Benoît Saint-Denis at UFC 299. He looked for a Guillotine multiple times but ultimately got a knockout via a right hook.

Makhachev is coming off back-to-back title defenses versus Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 and 294. While some may say Poirier is not the best fit for the title shot, his heroic underdog performance against Saint-Denis left all the doubters quiet.

The only other fight announced at this presser was the Sean Strickland versus Paulo Costa co-main event at UFC 302. Strickland is coming off a controversial loss for the Middleweight Title versus Dricus Du Plessis, while Costa is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker.

Both of these fighters are popular among the fans, and controversial in their own right. Costa is a jokester and beloved by the fans but has pulled out of six fights in his career, while Strickland's personality is more unapologetic and considered politically incorrect.

Both of these fighters are true to their personas and the fans enjoy their authenticity. Both are strikers who don't wrestle and grapple very much, so this could very well be a firework show that the fans will remember for a long time.

Here is the announcement from the man himself

Carson Schuler is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him please email cts5357@psu.edu.