Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler were originally scheduled to clash at UFC 303 on June 29. However, ‘Notorious’ had to withdraw from the much-anticipated event due to a broken pinky toe. McGregor, now fully fit, reacted angrily when Dana White recently claimed that his biggest star would not return to the Octagon in 2024.
“Ah Dana,” McGregor tweeted in response to White’s comments. He added that he had preparations in place to ramp up his training in September. “December is the date! Let’s bring the calendar year home with a winning event! Come on now, what’s this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. December,” McGregor emphasized. “Tell Dana and UFC we want December! We deserve December.”
A few days later, McGregor followed up with another post, suggesting he had convinced White to let him fight before the year’s end. “THE UFC LOVE AND WANT ME FOR DECEMBER! I AM READY,” he wrote.
Chandler quickly agreed to McGregor’s proposed date, posting just two hours later: “December it is.”
While White still doubts McGregor will return before 2024 ends, he has softened his stance. In an interview ahead of UFC 305, White said, “I don’t know what Chandler plans to do. I know he’s kind of kicking around right now. After I made those comments, Conor blew up my phone, saying, ‘I’ll definitely fight this year.’ When we reach the point where I believe a Conor McGregor fight will happen, I’ll announce it. As of right now, I don’t think Conor will fight this year. But Conor says he wants to fight in December. We’ll see how it plays out.”
McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he broke his leg during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. A return fight with Chandler has been on the table since February 2023. Chandler, who continues to wait on the sidelines, seems willing to wait longer. However, he is starting to consider other opponents if his bout with ‘Notorious’ doesn’t happen soon.
Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, and Dustin Poirier are on Chandler’s list of potential opponents for his next UFC fight. Newly ranked lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett is the only fighter he’s not interested in facing at the moment.
“I love Paddy. It was great to see him win that last one by finish, so he’s going to be climbing the rankings,” Chandler said. “He’s going to keep climbing, and maybe we’ll see him in the top 10 in the next couple of fights. But I’m not really interested in that fight. I’m ranked number six, he’s number 15, so it doesn’t make sense for me. He’s exciting and will continue to put on fun fights and climb the rankings, but right now, it doesn’t make sense for me. But who knows? If the fans want it, if the UFC wants it, fighting a guy who’s loved by the fans is always fun.”
