After suggesting he wouldn’t fight by the end of the year, McGregor is suddenly confident a return in 2023 could happen after all.
Conor McGregor may fight by the end of 2023 after all.
“The Notorious” recently stated that it looked like a fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 296 on December 16th wasn’t going to happen, despite him being ready to compete on that date. McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg badly in a 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier. Since then he’s been out of the USADA drug testing pool, and getting back in has proven to be a major sticking point in his comeback.
“They’re not going to let me fight in December, ladies and gentlemen,” he said in a voice recording on Twitter / X. “I’m ready. I’m ready, yeah? I wanted and announced December 16th. I’ve given everything. So, you know, it’s not gonna happen. It doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen.”
December is back on the table!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 22, 2023
Who knows what happened between that message and today (Tuesday, August 22), but Conor is suddenly sounding optimistic about UFC 296 again.
“December is back on the table!” he declared in a new tweet.
“Ready in both stances,” he added in a follow up.
UFC 296 is just three months away and still doesn’t have a main event booked, although the UFC has options. A fight between welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Colby Covington is still floating around, waiting for a date. New bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has said he wants to make a quick turnaround and defend his title before the end of the year. The light heavyweight title still sits vacant. So by no means is the UFC hard up for a headline fight.
Could Conor McGregor actually fight on December 16th? He could if the UFC grants him an exemption to the six month testing period required by USADA to compete after a fighter returns to the program. That’s always been the situation, and it’s an open question as to why the UFC hasn’t simply pulled the trigger and done that for their biggest star.
Is it because McGregor muscled up an entire weight class while recovering from his leg injury? Or has the recent negative press caused by a rape allegation making them leery of bringing him back? The Mac has also shared a ton of videos where he’s drinking whiskey and stout rather than training. That’s a big reason why many fans think he’s talking big with little intention of actually following through on a fight.
A decision will have to be made soon if the UFC wants to place McGregor on their December card in Las Vegas. We’ll keep you updated as this story develops.