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Conor McGregor announces long-awaited UFC return

Published 16:57 27 Aug 2023 BST

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After a two year hiatus, the Irish MMA star is set to return to the octagon.

Conor Mcgregor has announced his long-awaited UFC return to fans on social media. Tweeting an image of a screenshot from the UFC Fight Pass website, McGregor appeared to confirm that he will be returning to action at UFC 296 versus Michael Chandler. Due to take place in Las Vegas on Saturday, December 16th, the bout would be McGregor's first since his loss to Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi during the summer of 2021. Since that humbling defeat, in which the 35-year-old suffered a severe leg break, the former two-weight World Champion has been removed from the USADA testing pool, meaning that he cannot be sanctioned to fight. It is still uncertain as to whether or not the Dubliner has returned to the USADA pool, with fighters required to provide at least six months worth of tests prior to any sanctioned fight. https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1695815671660126421

Conor McGregor set for long-awaited UFC return:

McGregor has previously said that he wouldn't be fighting Chandler, and that the only fights that would entice him out of inactivity would be ones involving belts. However, it appears he has now agreed to take on his opposing coach from the Ultimate Fighter, in a bout which promises to bring fireworks. Chandler, who is a former World Champion himself in rival promotion Bellator, has fought on five occasions under the UFC banner, with just one of those fights going the distance. Meanwhile, McGregor is going in search of what would be his first win since defeating Donald Cerrone prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in January of 2020. The UFC themselves are yet to confirm as to whether or not McGregor's comeback is official. Related Articles:

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