- Conor McGregor announced that he will face Michael Chandler in his UFC return
- The pair will face off on the UFC International Fight Week card on June 29 in Las Vegas
- Jake Paul would be missing out on an opportunity if he moved to MMA – The Hook
Conor McGregor has announced he will face Michael Chandler in his long-awaited return to competition.
McGregor has been inactive since breaking his tibia in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021, but has since returned to training and is preparing for a return to the Octagon.
In a video posted to his social media, McGregor announced that he will fight the former lightweight challenger at the UFC's International Fight Week on June 29.
The pair served as opposing trainers on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter last year and fans have been eagerly awaiting a date for their showdown ever since.
Chandler had previously expressed concerns that McGregor would instead seek to complete his trilogy with Nate Diaz, a bout he described as an “easier fight” for the 35-year-old.
Conor McGregor has revealed details of his long-awaited UFC return in a post on social media
The Irishman announced that he will fight Michael Chandler on June 29 in Las Vegas
The fight will take place at the promotion's flagship event, International Fight Week
McGregor also revealed that the fight will take place in the 185-pound weight class, a weight class in which neither he nor Chandler have fought before.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Happy New Year to all of you,” McGregor said in a video posted on X.
“I would like to announce the return date for myself, 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor.”
“The greatest comeback of all time takes place on June 29th in Las Vegas for International Fight Week and the opponent is Michael Chandler.”
“And the weight, Mr. Chandler, 185 pounds.”
Chandler responded to the news via social media, insisting he welcomed the middleweight bout.
“I've always said I want you at your biggest, baddest and best.” He said on X.
“185 would look good on me.”
After becoming a two-fight world champion with the Cage Warriors, McGregor signed with the UFC in 2013 and began a dominant run at featherweight, reeling off five straight wins before defeating Chad Mendes to capture the interim featherweight title.
Chandler responded on social media, emphasizing that he welcomes the fight at 185 pounds
The former two-weight world champion added that the fight will take place at 185 pounds, a weight neither he nor Chandler have fought at before
McGregor has been preparing for a return to competition since recovering from a leg injury sustained in his last UFC fight
The 35-year-old recently suggested he might make another foray into professional boxing
McGregor's last fight at 145 pounds saw him impressively defeat the longtime champion after just 13 seconds to unify the belts.
Since then, the Irishman has competed in both the 155-pound and 170-pound heavyweight divisions, defeating Eddie Alvarez in the former to become the first concurrent UFC two-weight world champion.
International Fight Week traditionally takes place in July and has been an integral part of the UFC calendar since 2011. The first edition of the event was headlined by UFC 148, which pitted Chael Sonnen against Anderson Silva for the middleweight title.
Last year's event in Las Vegas included a Hall of Fame ceremony, a two-day fan experience and a UFC 290 card, the highlight of which was featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski's duel with Yair Rodriguez.
Conor McGregor announces he will face Michael Chandler at MIDDLEWEIGHT on June 29, with 'Notorious' finally announcing his big comeback via video while sipping red wine