After months of skepticism towards Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon, UFC president Dana White may have proven doubters wrong with his Instagram story on Friday.
On March 19, the former two-division champion told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi: ‘We got the confirmation a few days ago. It’s all systems go, and the Notorious will be returning to the UFC Octagon this summer.’
McGregor’s claim came after nearly a year of teasing his return as his hiatus approaches the three-year mark in July. With fans looking at McGregor’s announcement with a raised eyebrow, White hinted that there may be some truth to his sentiments.
On Friday morning, White posted a video of McGregor on his Instagram story and wrote ‘coming soon’ on top of the clip.
Before White’s story, McGregor’s supposed opponent, Michael Chandler, also confirmed a fight agreement in March.
UFC president Dana White posted a video of Conor McGregor and wrote ‘coming soon’
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White is yet to make a official announcement despite McGregor ‘confirming’ his return fight
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The Irishman has been campaigning for a UFC bout since recovering from a broken tibia
‘I’ve got the official announcement,’ Chandler told TMZ. ‘It’s happening this summer.’
‘The official status is we have an agreement- we’re fighting this summer,’ he added. ‘We’ll let the court of public opinion speculate on what the date is, but it’s definitely this summer. We’re giving you a window that we’re gonna be fighting in.’
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 the time off to work on other projects.
During a press tour for the 2024 remake of ‘Roadhouse’ – in which McGregor stars with Jake Gyllenhaal – the Irishman expressed frustration over struggling to book his return.
In 2023, McGregor and Chandler were appointed as opposing coaches in a season of The Ultimate Fighter, seemingly to parade the lightweight clash. However, the fight is yet to materialize nearly a year after the reality show aired.
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McGregor suffered the horrific injury in his second knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021
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McGregor’s return fight against Michael Chandler has been teased but is yet to be announced
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In 2023, McGregor and Chandler coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter
On New Year’s Eve, McGregor announced that he would fight Chandler at 185lbs to headline International Fight Week in July with a video on social media. Despite McGregor’s several announcements, White or the UFC did not put out anything related to his return until Friday.
Chandler is the No. 6 lightweight in the UFC and lost to Poirier via submission in his last appearance in 2022. Rather than avenging his loss to another ranked lightweight and possibly competing for a title, the former Bellator champion opted to wait for the chance to host McGregor’s return party.
Iron Mike holds a 23-8 MMA record and is 2-3 since joining the UFC in 2021 with knockouts over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson.
On the other hand, McGregor has a 22-6 MMA record. The Notorious one hopes to turn the tide from back-to-back knockout losses to Poirier and a layoff that saw him fall out of the rankings.
