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Conor McGregor is looking to finally be embarking on his return to the octagon.
The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion has been out of the cage for close to three years now after sustaining a gruesome injury in competition. After snapping his leg during his July 2021 trilogy bout versus Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, McGregor has been on the sidelines. But it seems like we're as close to the comeback as we ever have been.
June 29 is the date, and Michael Chandler is the opponent for the international fight week return of the sport's biggest star. The Las Vegas-based pay-per-view headliner is seemingly coming to fruition this Summer.
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'The Notorious' was long theorized to fight the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, as both men had spent time as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Season 31 last year.
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The Irishman made the announcement himself when he took to his personal X platform to make a video announcement on New Year's Eve. McGregor mentioned that the fight would be at 185 pounds. But his subsequent laughter had many scratching their heads on whether the former dual division champ was earnest about a jump up to middleweight for this matchup.
Check out McGregor's NYE bout announcement for the 2024 return below:
Conor McGregor and his pursuit of history
If Conor McGregor were to actually fight at middleweight here and secure a finish, he would enter into rarefied air with stoppage wins across four weight divisions in the UFC.
His featherweight run saw him notch finishes over Marcus Brimage, Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver, Chad Mendes, and Jose Aldo. The last two finishes saw Conor McGregor capture the interim 145-pound belt and then the lineal featherweight title, respectively.
The 35-year-old also put together one of the greatest lightweight highlights ever when he halted Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in the second round to capture the lightweight belt.
The Dublin native generated his welterweight finish against Donald Cerrone when he dispatched 'Cowboy' at UFC 246 in January 2020. This finish came at the 40-second mark following a head kick and follow-up punches in the 170-pound clash.
