Conor McGregor ‘confirms’ comeback opponent and date – but with major catch
McGregor has not fought since 2021, and a UFC bout with Michael Chandler collapsed in recent weeks
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Conor McGregor has claimed he will return to the UFC on 1 February, fighting Dan Hooker in Saudi Arabia.
McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier. This June, the former champion was due to fight Michael Chandler – 15 months after the bout was announced – but McGregor sustained a broken toe, postponing the contest.
Chandler then opted to move on and accept a different opponent, revealing in September that he will face Charles Oliveira in November, three years after losing to the Brazilian.
That news has left McGregor, 36, calling for a fight with Dan Hooker, and the lightweights have now agreed to face each other.
The pair spoke in the ring at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event on Saturday (12 October), and McGregor later told Bloody Elbow that he will fight the New Zealander in Saudi Arabia on 1 February.
Hooker, 34, then told Submission Radio: “Lock it in. I jumped in the ring, we had a few words inside the ring, but yeah: February 1 works for me, in Saudi. We’ll get that thing squared away.
“We’re kindred spirits, as you could say. I think we’re both very similar, there’s a lot of similarities there. I’m on board, he’s on board; we just need to get the UFC on board and we’ll get this thing across the line.”
The UFC has not yet announced its schedule for 2025, but it hosted its first-ever Saudi Arabia event in June, and the promotion is expected to return to the Gulf state next year.
McGregor has frequently appeared at Saudi boxing shows over the last year, and he recently called on Turki Al-Sheikh – the adviser behind the nation’s boxing venture – to help him secure a UFC comeback.
Chandler, 38, has suggested he could still fight McGregor after his bout with Oliveira, and McGregor remains open to a clash with the American.
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