Conor McGregor deletes injury update after taunt from UFC opponent Michael Chandler

The Irishman’s long-awaited comeback was postponed in June after he sustained a broken toe

Conor McGregor responded to a taunt from UFC opponent Michael Chandler by claiming his “foot is fully healed”, only to delete the X post shortly thereafter.

McGregor was due to face Chandler in June, but the Irishman suffered a broken toe two weeks before the fight, forcing the bout to be postponed indefinitely.

While fans await a new date for McGregor’s first fight in three years, the 36-year-old has been promoting Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, in which he recently bought a stake.

And as part of that promotion, McGregor filmed himself training bare-handed over the weekend, sharing the footage on X. Chandler, 38, was quick to respond: “But show us the bare foot knuckles...”

That drew a reply from McGregor, who told the American, “Hey bum beggar. The foot is fully healed,” before deleting the tweet.

McGregor was due to headline UFC 303 against Chandler on 29 June, but his withdrawal led to major changes to the fight card. The biggest alteration saw light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira compete in the new main event, defending his title in a rematch with former title holder Jiri Prochazka. Pereira won via second-round knockout, having also stopped Prochazka in November.

Conor McGregor addressing Michael Chandler in a now-deleted tweet (@TheNotoriousMMA via X)

No new date has been revealed for McGregor vs Chandler, although the Irishman said last week that the UFC’s December pay-per-view appeals to him.

McGregor last fought in July 2021, sustaining a broken leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier, who knocked out the Irishman six months earlier. Meanwhile, Chandler last competed in November 2022, losing to Poirier via submission.

McGregor’s last win was a first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone in January 2020, when he stopped the American in 40 seconds.

That result was a bright spot in a difficult streak for McGregor, whose only subsequent fights have been his losses to Poirier, while his preceding bouts saw him submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 and stopped by Floyd Mayweather in a 2017 boxing match.