Conor McGregor’s delayed UFC comeback given new timeline

McGregor was due to fight Michael Chandler in June but suffered a broken toe two weeks prior

Conor McGregor is now due to return to the UFC in “early 2025”, according to Dana White.

McGregor was set to fight Michael Chandler in June, but that bout was delayed indefinitely when the Irishman suffered a broken toe two weeks prior.

The postponement meant McGregor’s absence from the ring has stretched past three years, with his last fight – in July 2021 – ending in the former champion sustaining a broken leg. That contest pitted McGregor against Dustin Poirier, who knocked out “Notorious” six months earlier.

With the UFC continuing to announce headline fights for its upcoming pay-per-view events, but not naming McGregor vs Chandler among them, the rearranged bout was looking increasingly unlikely to take place in 2024. And on Monday (9 September), UFC president White told New York Post Sports: “Let me tell you this, I was the one this year saying, ‘I don’t think he’s going to fight this year.’

“Amid all the talk and everything else, even [with] the fight being set up in the press conference [after UFC 300 in April]...

“Conor McGregor will fight next year, early 2025. He’s had so much time off. As far as the hunger, he’s a very wealthy guy. We’ll find out.

“We’ll find out when he comes back, but he is definitely one of the big superstars of the sport that elevated the UFC all throughout Europe and other parts of the world. He’s been a big star and a great partner for us.”

Conor McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg (PA Archive)

McGregor, 36, is without a win in almost five years. His last victory came in January 2020, when he stopped Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds.

Chandler, 38, has not fought since November 2022, when was submitted by Poirer. Six months earlier, the American scored his most recent win, knocking out Tony Ferguson with a stunning front kick.