UFC
Why has Conor McGregor’s UFC return fight against Michael Chandler been called off?
The Irish and American MMA stars had originally been due to face one another in June until McGregor suffered a broken toe.
Conor McGregor may well have to find a new opponent when he makes his long-awaited returns to the Octagon. UFC President Dana White has stated the Irish star will no longer fight Michael Chandler when he is medically cleared to compete following a broken toe. At least not immediately.
In an interview with Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox, White broke the news the decision to call the fight off was made by the American: “Conor’s been out too long,” White said in an interview with Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox. “Chandler said, ‘I’m done waiting, I want to fight’”.
Instead, Chandler will next take on Charles Oliveira in a rematch at UFC 309 on November 16 in New York.
Is the fight between McGregor and Chandler still happening?
The matchup between McGregor and Chandler had originally been scheduled for UFC 303 in Nevada on June 29 but was postponed after the former suffered a broken toe in training earlier that month.
The Missouri native had hoped, in vain, the fight would be rearranged for this Saturday (September 14), when UFC 306 takes place at Sphere in Las Vegas. Chandler previously said in August he wouldn’t wait forever to face McGregor as he wanted to get on with his career.
However, after White’s interview was over, Fox revealed he had been contacted by the UFC President, who corrected what he had told him earlier. White says the fight between McGregor and Chandler “still may happen” and that “we’ll see what happens sometime in the future,” with the Irishman not due to back until 2025.
When was Conor McGregor’s last UFC fight?
McGregor has not fought in the UFC since UFC 264 in July 2021. On that occasion, he suffered a second successive defeat to Dustin Poirier via technical knockout. The ringside doctor stopped the bout as a result of ‘Notorious’ breaking his lower tibia after rolling his ankle.