- Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his tibia against Dustin Poirier
- McGregor and Michael Chandler both hinted at their upcoming fight in March
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After months of skepticism surrounding Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon, UFC president Dana White may have proven doubters wrong on Friday with his Instagram Story.
On March 19, the former two-division champion told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi: “We got the confirmation a few days ago. All systems go and the Notorious will return to the UFC Octagon this summer.”
McGregor’s claim came after almost a year of teasing about his return, with his July break approaching the three-year mark. As fans watched McGregor’s announcement with raised eyebrows, White hinted that there may be some truth to his sentiments.
On Friday morning, White posted a video of McGregor to his Instagram story and wrote “coming soon” on top of the clip.
Before White’s story, McGregor’s alleged opponent, Michael Chandler, also confirmed a fight deal in March.
UFC President Dana White posted a video of Conor McGregor and wrote ‘coming soon’
White is yet to make an official announcement despite McGregor ‘confirming’ his return fight
The Irishman has been campaigning for a UFC fight since recovering from a broken tibia
“I have the official announcement,” Chandler told TMZ. “It’s happening this summer.”
“The official status is that we have an agreement: we will fight this summer,” he added. ‘We let the public speculate about the date, but it is definitely this summer. We’re giving you a window where we’re going to fight.”
McGregor has not fought since breaking his tibia in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. After recovering from his injury, McGregor began campaigning for a return fight while taking time off to work on other projects.
During a press tour for the 2024 remake of ‘Roadhouse’ – in which McGregor stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal – the Irishman expressed his frustration at the difficulty in booking his return.
In 2023, McGregor and Chandler were appointed as opposing coaches on a season of The Ultimate Fighter, ostensibly to parade the lightweight clash. However, the fight is yet to take place almost a year after the reality show aired.
McGregor suffered the gruesome injury during his second knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021
McGregor’s return fight against Michael Chandler has been teased but has yet to be announced
In 2023, McGregor and Chandler coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter
On New Year’s Eve, McGregor announced he would fight 185-pound Chandler to headline International Fight Week in July with a social media video. Despite McGregor’s various announcements, White and the UFC did not release anything regarding his return until Friday.
Chandler is the No. 6 ranked lightweight in the UFC and lost to Poirier via submission in his last outing in 2022. Rather than avenge his loss to another ranked lightweight and potentially fight for a title, the former Bellator champion opted to to wait for the chance to host McGregor’s return party.
Iron Mike has an MMA record of 23-8 and is 2-3 since joining the UFC in 2021, with knockouts against Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson.
On the other hand, McGregor has an MMA record of 22-6. The Notorious will be hoping to turn the tide of back-to-back knockout losses to Poirier and a layoff that dropped him from the rankings.