Anyone else becoming increasingly frustrated with how the UFC is handling McGregor’s highly anticipated return to the octagon? welcome to the club because I am definitely growing tired of hearing rumours of the Irishman’s next fight. McGregor hasn’t featured in a UFC fight since 2021 when he broke his shinbone against Dustin Poirier. It is undeniable that Conor needed time to recover from his injury, however his return has been hinted at on numerous occasions by Dana White since 2021 and now in 2024 we are still no closer to finding out if or when this might actually materialise.
What’s the hold-up?
There have been numerous factors that have played a part in delaying the former double champ’s return to the mixed martial arts world. Besides nursing his injury, since 2021 the Irishman has been busy kickstarting his Hollywood career with an on-screen debut in the film ‘Road house’ starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Filming began in 2022 and the movie is set to be released in March, hence currently McGregor is occupied with press tours and film promotions.
I’m not going to go through the entire timeline of delays which have kept ‘The Notorious’ out of the Octagon for so long because, trust me.. it is an exhaustive list. To put it briefly, since his major injury, Conor has gained ounces of muscle in an unusually short period of time. Some You-tubers and other public figures have alluded towards the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs (PED’s) and in typical fashion, McGregor has lashed out at them on Twitter in response.
In other news, he has been busy with business ventures like promoting Proper 12 Irish whiskey and fitness training and performance training programs. Despite being pre-occupied, he still managed to remain as controversial as ever by constantly being on the headlines for all the wrong reasons like driving charges, sexual assault scandals, buying million-dollar yachts, visibly doing drugs and assaulting a mascot.
You know…the typical celebrity stuff. Last year in 2023, the Irishman did make a comeback to the UFC. Just not in the way we expected. Conor McGregor participated in the ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ — UFC’s reality competition. The 31st season saw McGregor and notable UFC lightweight fighter Michael Chandler clash head-to-head as coaches of their respective teams of bantamweight and lightweight fighters. In fact, when this was initially announced by the UFC, they also insinuated that this was the buildup towards an exciting fight between the two inside the Octagon at some point. Just thinking about this fight makes my adrenaline rush.
Another major delay in the Irishman’s return was his refusal to comply with USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) policies. Until recently, the UFC partnered with the USADA to test their athletes for the use of illegal substances such as steroids, drugs and other PED’s before upcoming fights. The UFC is known for playing favourites with Conor McGregor because he is after all their biggest cash cow and naturally they wanted him to return to the Octagon at the earliest. However, according to USADA standard protocol, athletes must have been in the testing pool for six months while returning zero positive test results and at least two negatives.
The UFC and McGregor were against this and wanted the USADA to exempt the Irishman from being in the testing pool for six months. After months of back and forths between the two parties, USADA decided to cut ties with the UFC resulting in the UFC creating its own drug-testing program. This entire dispute further delayed the Irishman’s return, frustrating fans and fighters. Chandler was even quoted saying “Just pee in the cup, Conor. It ain’t that complicated.”
Conor McGregor’s next opponent is…
During his time away from the Octagon, the former double champ constantly left fans speculating on who his next opponent might be and what weight class he would fight in. McGregor lashed out at anyone who stumbled into his crosshairs and called out fighters and other athletes. In one of Conor’s drunken tweets, he attempted to stir the Khabib pot for a rematch “I fight on! Your father’s plan is never complete because you quit and ran, brother. God bless. I’m still here if you want to go again. But your fear of defeat means you’ve already lost. Run from it all you want. We all lose in the end. Death takes us all. I fear nothing but God.”
Another tweet included his intent on completing the Nate Diaz trilogy “Congrats Nate Diaz on making it to the end of his contractual obligations with the UFC, and as a bonafide superstar goer. An incredible feat. Fair play. Our trilogy will happen.” After Justin Gaethje defeated Dustin Poirier to earn the BMF (Baddest Motherfucker) belt, McGregor once again became active on Twitter “I’m the real BMF. He can fight for pennies if he wants, but I want spirits. I call the shots. I’m in it to launch shots. F*** Chandler, you want it, call for it.”
His Twitter antics didn’t end there either, the Irishman also called out other fighters including former featherweight champion Volkanovski, former middleweight champ Strickland, Tony Ferguson, WWE’s Roman Reigns and more recently responding to taunts from newly crowned featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Despite all this, the UFC’s initial plan of McGregor versus Chandler will be coming to fruition later this year. In the Instagram post below, Conor McGregor finally made it public that his match with Chandler will be happening and the weight will be at 180 lbs. When asked about this, Dana White mentioned that this might not take place in July but most likely towards the end of the year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1kFlhfyLvP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again
