Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesUFC legend Conor McGregor announced his highly anticipated return to the Octagon in a video posted Sunday on social media.
In the video on X, formerly known as Twitter, McGregor said he will face Michael Chandler during International Fight Week on June 29 in Las Vegas:
Conor McGregor @TheNotoriousMMA<a href="https://t.co/Jje2yYoQoE">pic.twitter.com/Jje2yYoQoE</a>
According to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, McGregor wanted to fight at UFC 300 in April and pushed to do so, but he and the UFC higher-ups settled on June 29 instead.
Chandler responded to McGregor on X and expressed excitement over facing McGregor at 185 pounds:
Michael Chandler @MikeChandlerMMAI always said I wanted you at your biggest, your baddest and your best. 185 would look good on me.
The 35-year-old McGregor last fought at UFC 264 in July 2021 when he lost to Dustin Poirier by technical knockout due to doctor stoppage.
McGregor suffered a broken leg during the bout and was unable to continue, leading to a lengthy rehab process.
The Irishman is a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, and one of the biggest draws in the history of the promotion, but he had been struggling prior to getting injured.
McGregor lost three of his past four fights, including a pair of losses to Poirier and a submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018.
Still, McGregor owns a strong career record of 22-6 and he remains one of the greatest talents to ever grace the Octagon, so a bounce back isn't out of the question.
The 37-year-old Chandler is far from a cake walk in McGregor's first fight back, as he is a former Bellator lightweight champion and UFC lightweight title contender.
However, Chandler has dropped three of his past four decisions just like McGregor, losing to Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and Poirier during that time.
Chandler had a big win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 in May 2022, but in his most recent fight at UFC 281 in November 2022, he suffered a submission defeat at the hands of Poirier.
McGregor vs. Chandler has been an expected and anticipated fight for months, as they were the head coaches for the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter this year.
It will finally come to fruition next year, and if McGregor can get back on track with a win, a title opportunity could be in his future.
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