Conor McGregor confirms when and who he will fight in UFC return

The McGregor-Chandler grudge match has been more than a year in the making.

The two were opposing coaches on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which started filming in February of last year and was supposed to culminate with the two fighting one another after the show concluded on Aug. 15.

The plan to have that fight headline the UFC 296 pay-per-view on Dec. 16 fell through at the end of August, though, with UFC president Dana White stating he hoped to have McGregor and Chandler (23-8) square off sometime in early 2024.

Chandler tried to nudge the UFC to make the fight happen last month when he called McGregor out publicly in a WWE-style promo during a Feb. 19 edition of “Monday Night Raw” – a tactic that seemed to irk the 35-year-old Irishman.

“Shut up, Michael, you [expletive] imbecile,” McGregor said. “The man doesn’t shut up. I seen him [calling me out] on [WWE Monday Night] ‘Raw.’ I like Mike, I’m going to bust him up.”

McGregor has two more fights remaining on his UFC contract. He hasn’t given any indication whether he will re-sign with the company or if they want him back, though he made it clear he doesn’t want to be anywhere else.

“Do we sign a new deal?” McGregor asked. “Do I go? Am I a free agent? I love the UFC dearly. My heart is in the UFC, my catalog, my life. I love everyone in the company and all the fighters and all the events and all the shows and cards. I wish to continue this. How that looks, I have no clue.”