Conor McGregor to Fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 After 3-Year ...
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At long last, UFC star Conor McGregor finally has an official date for his highly anticipated return to the Octagon.
The UFC announced that McGregor will be taking on Michael Chandler in a 170-pound fight at UFC 303 during International Fight Week on June 29. It will be his first fight in nearly three years.
MYSTIC MAC IS BACK ????????????<a href="https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNotoriousMMA</a> takes on <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeChandlerMMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikeChandlerMMA</a> at 170lbs! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC303?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC303</a> <a href="https://t.co/kt3a12qM6x">pic.twitter.com/kt3a12qM6x</a>
Undoubtedly the biggest star in UFC history, McGregor hasn't fought since he suffered a broken leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. He and Chandler coached against one another during the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition series, with the plan being that they would fight after the season ended last year.
However, scheduling a date for McGregor's return seemed to be no easy task. The Irishman took his first major acting gig as the co-star in the remake of Road House, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video last month.
While McGregor needed time to promote the film, he eventually grew frustrated with the lack of progress in locking down his comeback fight. At one point, he wrote in an Instagram story, "Get the f--king date set," which appeared to be a shot at UFC brass.
Per ESPN's Marc Raimondi, McGregor had declared on Jan. 1 that he would be returning during the UFC's annual International Fight Week. Still, nothing was made official until UFC president Dana White officially announced his return during his UFC 300 post-fight press conference on Saturday night.
A former two-division champion, McGregor has won just once since 2016. He will be facing a tough test when he meets Chandler, who has a reputation for putting on exciting fights.
