Conor McGregor has taken to social media for the first time since his long-awaited UFC comeback fight with Michael Chandler was confirmed on Saturday night.
The former two-weight world champion hasn’t been inside the octagon since suffering a gruesome broken leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 almost three years ago. And over a year after the promotion announced he would fight ex-Bellator star Chandler in his return, a final date and time were confirmed by promotional boss Dana White on Saturday night following UFC 300.
McGregor was uncharacteristically quiet on Sunday after the announcement. However, he did unleash a barrage of posts later that the evening, including a Ultimate Fighter-themed tweet.
Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler signed for UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
On Saturday night, UFC boss Dana White finally announced that the pair would fight at the T-Mobile Arena. McGregor had previously announced the fight in December, although White had poured cold water on the idea multiple times.
However, his tune shifted dramatically this week as questions mounted around a potential announcement. Ultimately, the promotion opted for a low-key confirmation, with White reading the date, location and weight class from a sheet of paper at the post-fight press conference following UFC 300.
McGregor had claimed that the bout would take place at 185lb, which has been confirmed as false with White saying it will be 170lb. But his announcement was otherwise accurate, with the June 29 date confirming the close of International Fight Week.
Conor McGregor pokes fun on Twitter and raises tension from The Ultimate Fighter
McGregor and Michael Chandler coached opposite one another on last year’s season of The Ultimate Fighter, with both taking a trophy each in the bantamweight and lightweight divisions.
Chandler got the better of McGregor almost every week of the reality show, picking up seven out of eight wins in the early stages of the competition. But after the Irishman’s SBG Ireland gymmate Brad Katona swapped sides from Team Chandler to Team McGregor, the Canadian went on to win the bantamweight bracket.
In McGregor’s first post since fight confirmation, the 35-year-old tweeted a clip of an heated argument between the pair from their season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the caption reading:
“Get the jet fired up Mac.”
The former world champion then added another video, showing himself celebrating his sole victory in the first stage of The Ultimate Fighter. Footage shows him jump into the cage to celebrate with teammate Rico DiScullio, with a caption reading: “I scale back walls to get it back, don’t forget it. Yup Team McGregor!”
Conor McGregor’s comical voice note to Michael Chandler after fight is finally booked
McGregor is infamous for his ‘tweet and delete’ sprees in which he sends out Twitter audio posts, which rarely survive past a few hours. And he has launched his first verbal attack on Chandler with a mocking message.
After the pair got physical during an altercation on The Ultimate Fighter last year, Chandler could be heard asking McGregor “Are we going to do this, are we going to fight right now?” Since the incident, the Irishman has mocked his rival for the remark on numerous occasions, and did so again with his latest recording.
McGregor posted a brief message to Twitter in which he makes fun of Chandler for asking such a question, imitating him in a quivering voice asking “What, we’re going to fight right now? We’re going to do this right now? Right here and right now?”