Conor McGregor is undeniably the biggest superstar in the history of MMA. His journey to become the first simultaneous two-division UFC champion propelled him to household name status. Since his unfortunate leg break at UFC 264, the MMA community has keenly felt McGregor’s absence.
Speculation about his return to the octagon has been rife, with numerous rumored dates circulating. Recently, a controversial UFC flyweight inadvertently leaked the date of McGregor’s comeback fight against Michael Chandler via an Instagram video post.
Cody Durden spoils Conor McGregor’s grand return date
Cody Durden’s four-fight winning streak at flyweight came to an end at UFC 296 when he lost to Tagir Ulanbekov via a first-round face crank submission. Durden announced his next fight against Carlos Hernandez in an Instagram video post, inadvertently revealing Conor McGregor’s return date.
“I’m back in the octagon. Jun 29th, versus Carlos Hernandez. UFC 303! Michael Chandler versus ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor! Let’s go, baby!” said Durden in his recent video post.
UFC 303 is the promotion’s PPV scheduled for the 2024 International Fight Week. McGregor had previously announced on New Year’s Eve 2024 via social media that he would be fighting Chandler on the same date.
However, Dana White later confirmed that they were aiming for McGregor’s return in September. Nevertheless, McGregor remained eager to return to the octagon on June 29, as he mentioned during one of the promotional events for his debut movie, The Roadhouse.
UFC Welterweight bears bad news for Michael Chandler ahead of Conor McGregor fight
UFC welterweight Matt Brown shared his about the Michael Chandler versus Conor McGregor fight in his interview with MMAFighting‘s Damon Martin. Brown, a veteran UFC fighter was extremely critical of Chandler waiting for the fight with McGregor.
“When Nate (Diaz) did it, it was special. We thought Conor was the man and Nate did it coming in on what fucking two weeks’ notice? That was amazing. But if Chandler did it, I don’t even think we’d be impressed,” said Brown, who stated that McGregor has been partying and drinking in his time off.
Moreover, he compared the scenario to that of Jake Paul boxing Mike Tyson. A victory over Tyson would have name value but will be criticized for the age gap. Despite Chandler being slightly older than McGregor, Brown found similarities between Chandler vs McGregor and Tyson vs Paul.
Many have criticized Chandler for waiting for the McGregor fight as he has not fought since he lost via submission to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. Poirier has fought twice since then and is on the cusp of his third crack at the undisputed lightweight title.
Do you think Conor McGregor will headline UFC 303 against Michael Chandler? Leave your prediction below!
