McGregor makes a comeback after 2 years.

Irish fighter Conor McGregor has announced he will fight Michael Chandler in Las Vegas on June 29th, but the UFC has not yet confirmed this information.

On December 31st, McGregor announced on social media that his "greatest comeback of all time" will take place at UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas in the summer of 2024. The Irish fighter stated that he will fight Chandler in the 83.9kg (185 pound) weight class – a weight class he has never competed in before.

The UFC has not confirmed this information, and Chandler has not received notification of an official fight date, but he remains ready. The 37-year-old fighter asserts that he always trains for such a big fight and would accept any weight class, from 70 to 83.9 kg (155 to 185 pounds).

McGregor appears in the O2 Arena before the heavyweight boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius in London, England on August 12, 2023. Photo: Reuters — McGregor appears in the O2 Arena before the heavyweight boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius in London, England on August 12, 2023. Photo: *Reuters*

ESPN commented that McGregor's desire to fight at 185 pounds is interesting, given that both McGregor and Chandler's "natural" fighting weight is 155 pounds. McGregor has won titles at 145 and 155 pounds and has even competed at a maximum weight of 170 pounds. Chandler also holds a 155-pound title from another weight class, and has fought at 155 pounds in all five of his UFC fights.

Last year, McGregor and Chandler both participated in The Ultimate Fighter 31 program as coaches for fighters hoping to return to the UFC. There, McGregor left open the possibility of unarmed boxing, even a potential fight against Manny Pacquiao – the legendary boxer who retired in 2021.

McGregor was also embroiled in a controversy with the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) – an agency that had been UFC's anti-doping partner until the end of 2023. USADA stated that their partnership with the UFC deteriorated because the UFC wanted to allow McGregor to compete without undergoing six months of anti-doping testing and having at least two negative tests. UFC business director Hunter Campbell denied these allegations and demanded a public apology. Subsequently, the UFC announced a new partnership with the fee-collecting agency Drug Free Sport International.

McGregor hasn't competed since spraining his ankle and losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Irish fighter has 22 wins and 6 losses, has previously held the UFC featherweight and lightweight titles, and was the first UFC fighter to hold championships in two weight classes simultaneously.

McGregor is the king of attracting pay-per-view viewers to UFC events, appearing in five of the highest-grossing events. The 35-year-old fighter was ranked by Forbes as the world's highest-earning athlete in 2021, with $180 million. He was also on the list in 2018, raking in $99 million and ranking fourth.

McGregor's career is closely tied to MMA, but the fight that propelled him to superstardom in the sports industry was his bout against "The Undefeated" Floyd Mayweather in boxing in August 2017. McGregor lost to the American fighter but still earned $100 million in a fight that was largely an exhibition match.

Hong Duy

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