27 August 2023 , 17:34
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Conor McGregor appears to have put weight behind the theory that UFC Fight Pass have leaked the date for his comeback fight with Michael Chandler this year.
The Irishman has been out of action for over two years after suffering a broken leg against Dustin Poirier in their 2021 trilogy fight at UFC 264. And as recently as last weekend it appeared that he would have to wait until next year as promoter Dana White offered a negative update after it had been expected he would fight in December.
However, fans on social media began to share an unverified screenshot today seemingly showing a leak from the promotion's streaming service that lists a December 16 pay-per-view event entitled 'Chandler vs McGregor: UFC 296'. And McGregor added fuel to the fire by simply sharing the grab to his 10million+ Twitter followers.
Within an hour, his post garnered over 1.1million views as eager fans flocked to see if the bout was confirmed. His key issue appears to this point have been with the US Anti-Doping Agency who require not only two negative tests, but six months in their random testing pool before a long-time absentee can return to the octagon.
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But last weekend at The Ultimate Fighter finale in Boston, his opponent Chandler noted that there are exceptions to that rule, noting how newly-signed fighters regularly take short-notice fights. Within those timeframes, they would be unable to be tested for six months, noting a loophole in the rules.
"They're not going to let me fight in December, ladies and gentlemen," McGregor said last weekend in a series of audio notes on X [formerly Twitter]. "You've seen Chris Weidman. Imagine what that injury is. I feel like I'm being kept from my livelihood, and I've been feeling this for years.
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"I'm not going to air grievances. I'm going to buoy down and soldier on. I'm ready. I wanted an announcement for December 16. I've given everything. So, it's not going to happen. It doesn't look like it's going to happen."
McGregor is currently in training for his own UFC comeback after over two years out of action with a broken leg. He has jetted off to Cannes with his teammates including Ciaran Clarke, Lee Hammond, Kiefer Crosbie and Cian Cowley for a special training camp as he attempts to save the December date.
Crosbie has recently signed with the UFC after a win over Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira in Portugal was followed by a stunning boxing debut against Aaron Chalmers at the 3Arena in June. Meanwhile, Hammond recently competed on The Ultimate Fighter and was seconds from beating eventual winner Kurt Holobaugh while Clarke is set to return to the cage at Bellator Dublin next month.