Conor McGregor’s return to UFC action is finally official as Dana White announced at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference, that his comeback fight against Michael Chandler is set for UFC 303, International Fight Week.
Conor McGregor hasn’t competed in the UFC since breaking his ankle at the end of round one of his third fight against Dustin Poirier, at UFC 264 back in 2021.
The last time Michael Chandler fought was also against Dustin Poirier where he was submitted in round three. Since then, the 37-year-old has made it clear that he was happy to wait around for Conor McGregor.
The two lightweights went on to coach in the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter and the original plan was for them to fight at the culmination of the season.
Conor McGregor returns at UFC 303 on International Fight Week, a 170lbs fight with Michael Chandler
Conor McGregor’s return saga continued throughout the beginning of this year, as the Irishman seemingly became frustrated with the UFC that he couldn’t pin down a date for his return.
‘The Notorious’ McGregor has recently been doing his press obligations for Road House, the film he starred in alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. During that press run, the 35-year-old mentioned several times that his UFC return had been given the go-ahead.
Despite that, UFC CEO, Dana White, appeared on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast not long after, stating that they would only discuss his return, once his media obligations for Road House had concluded.
The 35-year-old has been sharing sparring videos on his social media accounts recently, showing that he is fully back in camp for his highly anticipated return.
Following the monumental UFC 300 event on Saturday, April 13th, Dana White finally announced McGregor’s return is official for UFC 303, on International Fight Week. The bout against Michael Chandler will take place at welterweight.
McGregor has fought at 170lbs once before in his career, against Donald Cerrone in 2020. His two fights against Poirier that proceeded were at 155lbs.
The 12th annual International Fight Week takes place on the week commencing June 24th, with UFC 303 from the T-Mobile Arena concluding the week on June 29th.
Alexander Volkanovski headlined the 2023 International Fight Week event, where he defended his featherweight title against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.
Conor McGregor could re-enter the title picture with a win
The welterweight fight against Michael Chandler could put ‘The Notorious’ in the 170lb title picture with a win.
If the superstar is able to pick up a win against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler, it will undoubtedly set up for a monumental fight with Leon Edwards – if he is still the title holder come the time.
Since the beginning of the star announcing his comeback on his Instagram, he has been targeting International Fight Week as his return date, with the UFC’s confirmation finally giving the fans a date to look forward to.