Conor McGregor is set to take on Michael Chandler in Las Vegas on December 16.
McGregor will look for his first UFC win in over three years when he faces Chandler after recently coaching against his rival on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter. The Irishman hasn't fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their July 2021 trilogy fight, but he is now set for a return at the end of the year.
The promotion will host UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas nine days before Christmas after applying for an event permit to Nevada, according to MMA Junkie. McGregor's coach John Kavanagh teased fans by replying to a tweet about the date with a gif of NBA star Shaquille O'Neal 'shimmying'.
McGregor hasn't submitted a drug test since the third quarter of 2021, although there is no evidence to suggest the UFC star of any wrongdoing. The Irishman's return to the USADA testing pool is expected he will need to complete six months of mandatory drug-testing before making his fighting return, with an official announcement for the fight expected to be made during an upcoming episode of The Ultimate Fighter.
UFC boss Dana White all but confirmed that McGregor would return at the final pay-per-view event of the year when revealing plans of a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic for UFC 295 in November. "Jon Jones? We're working on something for him later this year," White told The Pat McAfee Show. during an appearance last week. "Everybody knows we're hopefully targeting MSG [Madison Square Garden] and possibly him and Stipe Miocic."
Who wins in the UFC clash - Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
McGregor and Chandler have been respectful of each other since their fight was announced, but they did have a brief scuffle in the cage after filming an episode of the UFC's reality TV show. 'Notorious' admitted there was a bit of tension between him and Chandler but played down any talks of a fierce rivalry.
"I'm having a bit of fun to be honest with you," McGregor told the official UFC YouTube channel in an interview released to promote The Ultimate Fighter. "I don't mind Michael at all, don't mind the team, the lads. There was a bit of hostility at one stage but for the most part it's been a lot of good fun and happy days, I'd do this again, I'd coach this non-stop to be honest."
