Conor McGregor broke his word again, although this time only half. The Irishman, 35, had announced that on the first day of 2024 he would make his next fight official. He has done it, although a little earlier. On New Year's Eve in Europe, The Notorious has published a video of his farewell dinner in 2023 (last week he was in Saudi Arabia) in which he has set a date and rival for his return to the cage.
The Irishman will return on June 29, 2024 in a fight against Michael Chandler.
Outside of the date, which has a tail, the most anticipated thing was to know the weight. It will be, after many doubts, at the middle weight limit (less than 83.9 kg). The idea that had been rumored, from the beginning, was that the fight would take place in the welterweight class since both McGregor and Chandler are lightweights, but no. Two divisions will jump.
The fight, according to McGregor, will be part of the UFC's International Fight Week.
The company has not confirmed or denied anything at the moment, but the calendar fits. The company usually organizes its big week in the days before or after, depending on the year, the United States national holiday, the 4th of July.
In the absence of official status from the UFC, the announcement has generated noise on social networks, as is logical.
McGregor 's return has been around for almost a year. In February 2023, the Irishman's presence as a coach on TUF 31 (UFC reality show) was announced. The other coach of the edition was Michael Chandler. The fight seemed done. Usually, once the reality show concludes, the lawsuit is close to take advantage of the hype. It was the idea. August seemed like the month, but it wasn't.
McGregor last fought on July 10, 2021.
In that fight he suffered a fracture of his left tibia and fibula. The downtime is long and during that recovery the Irishman was removed from the USADA list. The United States Anti-Doping Agency must control all UFC fighters to give them the OK to compete. They must have been there for at least six months to be eligible. The equation was simple: McGregor would sign up in February and the fight would be in August or September... but things are not easy with The Notorious.
The Irishman was extending deadlines without reasonable explanation.
From summer it jumped to December and finally the time came: it couldn't be in 2023. McGregor tried to get an exception from USADA. That is, I wanted to fight without spending six months undergoing controls. The organization's refusal caused the breakup of the UFC with USADA. Starting this January 1, another company will be in charge of running the UFC anti-doping program (the same one that does it in the NFL or MLB).
Time was no longer a problem, yet McGregor was aiming for UFC 300 (April 13).
In that event there would be too many roosters and his trainer warned: he would return in the summer of 2024. That's how it seems it will be. And Chandler? Expecting. The 37-year-old American fought for the last time in November 2022. Faced with such an economic opportunity, he did not want to take risks and had to remain stationary. If McGregor knocks on your door he is face A. All you have to do is wait and take the biggest bag of your life. That's what he has done. On June 29 everything will end, although with Conor McGregor anything can change. Nothing can be taken for granted.
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