Michael Chandler leaves UFC fans perplexed with latest Conor McGregor callout

Chandler Offers Date For McGregor Fight

Losses to Oliveira and Pimblett put Chandler on the second three-fight skid of his career, and this week “Iron” unexpectedly took to Threads to either tease plans for a fight with McGregor or attempt to coax the Irishman back to the Octagon early next year.

"Conor!!!!! 1/24/26"

The UFC calendar is currently only mapped out through UFC 320 on September 13. Chandler’s mention of an event on January 24 would more than likely be the promotion’s first PPV offering of 2026, as the UFC typically takes several weeks off from late December into early January.

McGregor's UFC Return Still Largely In Doubt

It’s unclear if Chandler has had any discussions with the UFC regarding a matchup with McGregor for next year, but “The Notorious” has been largely silent regarding any talk of a comeback fight as of late.

Following’s McGregor’s knockout-win over Eddie Alvarez to become a two-division UFC champion and his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather the following year, the Irishman challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov to try and reclaim the lightweight belt at UFC 229 but was submitted in the fourth round.

The 36-year-old returned more than two years later to defeat Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in 40 seconds at UFC 246, but it’s now been nearly four years since McGregor last stepped into the Octagon for a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier that saw the UFC star suffer his second loss in a row to “The Diamond” due to an injury at the end of the first round.

Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.