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UFC star Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon will take even longer than expected.
During an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show (h/t Damon Martin of MMA Fighting), UFC president Dana White said he’s “hoping for the fall” for McGregor to face Michael Chandler in their highly anticipated fight.
Fans had been holding out hope that McGregor would be ready to make his return by UFC 300 on April 13, but that always seemed like a long shot. The fallback option would have been International Fight Week at the end of June, but it sounds like that’s not on the table, either.
McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021 when he suffered a broken ankle during his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier. He coached against Chandler in the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition series, and the two of them were expected to fight at some point after the season came to an end.
Chandler, who hasn’t fought since he lost to Poirier in November 2022, has been steadily calling out McGregor on social media. Unfortunately, it didn’t create any progress toward getting their fight scheduled.
Michael Chandler @MikeChandlerMMA
I get it. He’s coming off an injury, so that said, now that @TheNotoriousMMA is healthy…the question is, why wouldn’t it be #ufc300 ? It’s been 2.5 years… Get off the yacht kid…
Michael Chandler @MikeChandlerMMA
What it looks like when you stand in front of a man that is steadfast and immovable. Watch the happy-go-lucky nervous tension in him. Who backs out of the pocket first? Are we friends @TheNotoriousMMA ? pic.twitter.com/VluWu9wt6q
For his part, McGregor has also expressed frustration at the lack of clarity regarding his fight against Chandler. He recently wrote in an Instagram story, “Get the f–king date set,” indicating that he isn’t the one causing the delay.
McGregor is one of the biggest stars in the history of the UFC, so it’s surprising White has struggled to nail down a date for his eventual return. Still, fans will surely be excited when the time comes for him to face Chandler as their anticipation continues to build.
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