McGregor returns to UFC after 2 years
McGregor announced the plan at the O2 Arena in London, while watching the heavyweight boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius on August 13.
Accordingly, the Irish boxer confirmed to meet Michael Chandler in December, and then had two more steps into the octagon in early 2024 to fight Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz.
"Next is Chandler, in December," McGregor told TalkSport. "Then there's the BMF title match against Gaethje. Then I'll have the third fight with Diaz."
McGregor and Chandler joined The Ultimate Fighter 31 as coaches for fighters hoping to return to the UFC. Here, Chandler's team won and McGregor once left open the possibility of re-appearance at the end of the year.
At the UFC 291 event in July 2023, Gaethje defeated Dustin Poirier by knockout with a high kick to win the BMF belt for boxers with the best fighting style. After the fight, McGregor took to social media to challenge Gaethje.
Meanwhile, McGregor has fought Diaz twice and is considered the best fight in UFC history, when attracting the attention of the world. During their first meeting at UFC 196, Diaz put McGregor on the floor and used a strangulation from behind to force the opponent to high five to ask for defeat. The two fighters rematched at UFC 202 and McGregor got his revenge with a majority verdict victory after five rounds (48-47, 47-47 and 48-47).
Diaz has just parted from the UFC after 17 years and entered the boxing arena - where he lost to American YouTuber Jake Paul in a welterweight fight at American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas on the evening of August 5. The two fighters could rematch under MMA rules instead of boxing rules, with Diaz receiving $10 million.
McGregor's career is associated with MMA, but the match that elevated him to a superstar in the sports industry was the fight with "Lonely Bridge" Floyd Mayweather at the boxing station in August 2017. McGregor lost to the American boxer but still earned $ 100 million in a performance-heavy match.
McGregor hasn't competed since flipping his ankle and losing to Dustin Poirier at the UFC 264 event in July 2021. However, he has not returned to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) - which monitors all athletes competing.
Therefore, to return to the UFC, the 35-year-old boxer must undergo six months of anti-doping tests and have at least two negative results. If he returns in December, McGregor will definitely not meet the doping test time criteria. This means that the former UFC two-weight champion will likely be exempted.
Brock Lesnar - American boxer who retired from MMA in 2011 - was similarly exempted when he re-emerged with Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in 2016. This match, he won by referee points. But then, Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance in the UFC's anti-doping policy. Therefore, the match changed to no contest.
