No one knows if the screenshot listing UFC 296 as ‘Chandler vs. McGregor’ is real. But McGregor is pushing it because ‘The Notorious’ clearly wants to fight in December.
Conor McGregor is continuing to push for a fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 296 on December 16th.
McGregor and Chandler coached opposite each other on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, and the general plan has always seemed to be a fight on the UFC’s last pay-per-view of the year. The only problem? “The Notorious” continues to be outside the USADA drug testing program, which requires fighters spend six months being randomly tested before being allowed to compete.
Sure, the UFC could always request an exemption which would allow McGregor to fight after just two tests. But the promotion seems reluctant to admit that’s the route they’ll go. The Irish sports star recently uploaded a voice recording to X (formerly Twitter) saying “They’re not going to let me fight.” A day later his tune had changed and he tweeted “December is back on the table.”
Now McGregor is pushing for the date by sharing a viral claim from a fan that UFC Fight Pass had UFC 296 labeled as ‘Chandler vs. McGregor.’ Conor shared the alleged screenshot from the UFC’s streaming service in another tweet.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 27, 2023
Now let’s be clear: there’s no confirmation that the UFC Fight Pass screenshot is legit. No one is able to find it now. It may be fake. Or it could be another employee error. It’s certainly not confirmation that the UFC is going ahead with McGregor vs. Chandler on December 16th.
The UFC has certainly goofed in the past with big fight leaks. Jon Jones’ return fight against Ciryl Gane was leaked when a T-Mobile employee accidentally advertised the fight on arena video screens before the UFC had a chance to announce it. Could this be another instance like that? It’s possible. But we wouldn’t go and book plane tickets to Las Vegas just yet.
The only thing this shows: Conor McGregor is still advocating hard for a return before the end of 2023. We’ll keep you updated as to whether the UFC actually indicates that’s the direction they’re going. As of right now, McGregor vs. Chandler remains in limbo.