Conor McGregor backtracks on delayed UFC return with December date hopeful

22 August 2023 , 09:57

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Conor McGregor backtracks on delayed UFC return with December date hopeful

Conor McGregor could still make his UFC return this year despite recently stating the UFC is not letting him fight in December.

McGregor was expected to make his return against Michael Chandler at UFC 296 on December 16 having recently coached against his rival on reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Both McGregor and Chandler have insisted they are ready to fight at the final pay-per-view event of the year, but no announcement has yet been made by the UFC.

The Irishman posted a series of Twitter voice notes on Monday in which he said: “They’re not going to let me fight in December, ladies and gentlemen. I’m ready. I wanted the announcement. I’ve given everything. It doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. I thought we [confirmed it] but turns out, maybe it’s not so much. I hold the power and I’m going to keep doing my thing. I’m in a great spot and I’ll see yous all soon."

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McGregor has now backtracked on his original comments just a day later by hinting that UFC 296 is still a possibility for his comeback fight. "December is back on the table," he wrote before also tweeting: "Ready in both stances." One hurdle McGregor will need to get over in order to fight in December is his current drug-testing status, as the former two-weight champion hasn't been tested since his July 2021 trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.

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All UFC fighters must complete six months of mandatory drug testing before they are eligible to compete, meaning McGregor wouldn't be able to fight in December unless USADA give him a special exemption. The drug testing organisation can do this in rare circumstances, but they have insisted that McGregor's situation wouldn't warrant an exemption.

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler could be fighting in December (Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

By the time McGregor returns to the octagon, granted he fights in December, almost four years would have passed since his last UFC win. 'Notorious' stopped Donald Cerrone in just 40-seconds at UFC 246 in January 2020 but he went on to lose against Poirier twice the following year. Chandler has been sitting on the sidelines since last November in the hopes of fighting the Irishman.

Chandler has seemingly given up hope for a fight against McGregor in December as he told DC & RC last week: “It's happening in December? I’m not holding my breath. If it could happen by the end of the year, that would be phenomenal but if it spills over into 2024, either way, the most exciting guy in the sport, myself, versus the biggest star in the sport."

Harry Davies