Conor McGregor makes sudden U-turn over UFC comeback

The ex-champion said on Sunday that his fight with Michael Chandler would not take place this year, but he has already changed his tune

Conor McGregor has claimed that ‘December is back on the table’ as he looks to pin down a date for his UFC return.

It was announced in February that McGregor would fight Michael Chandler this year, though no date, location or weight class was confirmed for the bout.

The fighters squared off as coaches on the UFC television show The Ultimate Fighter this summer, but their own clash looked no further to materialising. McGregor, 35, then said on Sunday that the fight would not take place in 2023 after all.

The Irishman has already made an about-turn, however, writing on X on Tuesday (22 August): “December is back on the table! Ready in both stances.”

At a similar time, American Chandler wrote on Instagram, “Day 1,” while posting footage of himself training.

The biggest hurdle to a fight between the 37-year-old and former champion McGregor has been the latter’s absence from the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool.

In order to compete, fighters must: be in the pool for six months; return two negative test results; and return zero positives. As such, McGregor is not eligible to fight until February 2024, unless he is granted an exemption.

McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, while Chandler’s last fight was a submission defeat by Poirier in November 2022.

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