McGregor: “Greatest comeback of all time”
After months of waiting for an opponent, ‘The Notorious’ announced who will be his next opponent and his return date.
2024 is already here and Conor McGregor seems to have welcomed the new year in style. Although it was expected that the UFC star would make his return to the octagon this year, now it’s been confirmed who he will fight, the date, and the venue.
After months of waiting for an opponent, the Irishman (22-6) was visibly frustrated, as he had received no news from the UFC president, Dana White, on when he would be making his comeback fight.
A week ago, during the Day of Reckoning boxing event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the former two-belt owner expressed, during an interview, that he was struggling with his situation and that he was thinking about other possibilities outside the MMA world to compete.
That was when he mentioned the name of Manny Pacquiao as a possible rival, which would mean he would go back to a boxing ring, after his good performance against Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in 2017, a fight that translated into millions of dollars for The Mac.
McGregor’s next fight: Michael Chandler in June
However, things have quickly changed since then and McGregor already knows when he will be able to fight again inside the octagon.
McGregor, 35, took on social media to announce his return fight against Michael Chandler (23-8) on International Fight Week, on June 29 in Las Vegas, adding that the fight will be at the 185lb middleweight limit.
McGregor and Chandler were expected to collide, as both men coached against each other on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, but the fight never happened, leading to many rumors.
“Ladies and gentlemen, a Happy New Year to you all. I’d like to announce the return date for myself, The Notorious Conor McGregor for the greatest comeback of all time will take place in Las Vegas for International Fight Week on June 29th”, he said.
“Come a little closer... and the opponent is Michael Chandler. And the weight, Mr Chandler 185 pounds”, McGregor added in his video post.
McGregor’s last fight took place in 2021 when he broke his leg during his third fight with Dustin Poirier. He was ineligible to compete for much of last year after he failed to register with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which led to a dispute between McGregor and the UFC vs. the USADA.
Chandler, 37, last stepped into the octagon in 2022, losing to The Diamond too.