UFC still has no plans to book Conor McGregor for his next fight, but this is not stopping the Irish superstar from making claims.
On New Year’s Eve, McGregor started making claims about his return, saying he would face Michael Chandler in a 185-pound bout on June 29 in Las Vegas. The opponent, who has been on break for more than a year waiting for the fight, expressed excitement over the matter and echoed the announcement. After that, “The Notorious” suggested sealing a spot at UFC 300 in April, albeit Chandler’s name was not mentioned.
In the end, however, all the claims were repeatedly dismissed by CEO Dana White, who specifically pointed out that there’s still no plan for McGregor. Aside from ending the June claim of the fighter, the executive said in earlier interviews that McGregor would never be at UFC 300. Despite all that, the fighter made the latest tease on X during the 2024 Super Bowl preview on Sunday:
“Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest sporting days for my friends in the States, second only to the Mac’s return to the octagon this summer! Good luck to the 49ers and the Chiefs, leave something in Vegas for me.”
Of course, the UFC remains mum about this latest claim, with White reminding reports earlier that they always “announce” official fights. This leaves fans clueless about when McGregor would really return and the real reason behind the extended inactivity of the fighter. Nonetheless, according to rumors, the promotion is deliberately doing it, with Sean O’Malley saying the company is “losing money when he (McGregor) fights.” As for McGregor’s move, analyst and retired fighter Chael Sonnen believes the repeated bluffs could be the fighter’s way to push the promotion into really booking the fight.
“As a matter of fact, if you want to know what I think’s going on, I think Conor’s having a hard time getting this fight,” Sonnen explained last month. “And I think Conor has now gone to the public, stated a date that he knows is available, got Chandler to back him up and they’re doing this to work into this bout agreement backwards, which is fascinating.”
