Conor McGregor’s return is back in limbo after the UFC announced on Saturday that his longtime opponent Michael Chandler would be fighting Charles Oliveira next in November instead of “The Notorious.” That leaves McGregor without a date or a name. In other words, it leaves him with nothing.
The only thing McGregor is getting from the UFC these days is a lot of drug testing. During a BKFC press conference on Friday night, the Mac noted that he’d just been called on by Drug Free Sport International again, before saying he had requested boxing power broker and Riyadh Season organizer Turki Alalshikh’s aid in helping him get back in the cage.
“I’ve been tested more than twice these other athletes, yet I struggle to get a date,” McGregor said. “So I’ve talked to Sheikh Turki and I’ve said, ‘Sheikh Turki, can you assist me here?’”
McGregor has been eligible to fight since April 2024 but has found it difficult to get a date locked down with the UFC. When he finally got a June 29th date at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler, a broken toe forced him off the card. Despite it being a minor injury, the UFC hasn’t rushed to rebook the fight. Just bad timing or is there something else going on?
“As far as Chandler rematching Oliveira, I’m happy with the date, it’s November,” McGregor said. “Maybe we can still do it after, if they’re not going to line me up until December or January or February, one of these dates. Maybe we can still do it. I’m just a bit out of the loop with it.”
“All I can do is carry on doing what I’m doing. I test under the testing administration. I train daily. And … you know, that’s it. Let’s see what happens. Hopefully it all comes to fruition.”
And if the UFC is unwilling to book him, maybe they’ll let him do something else in the meantime? They won’t, but McGregor suggested it’d be nice.
“I would love maybe an exemption, or maybe a joint partnership,” he said. “Bare Knuckle / UFC, similar to McGregor Sports & Entertainment / Mayweather Promotions. Some sort of agreement where we can get busy. I need to be busy and right now I’m working to get there.”
“So let’s see what happens. Like I said, I’ve got two fights left on the contract and it’s taking a minute, you know? Patience is one of the most important skills a person can possess. Study, learn, and implement. And that’s where I’m at right now.”
That’s eerily similar to something Michael Chandler said as he rode the pine waiting for the McGregor fight to pan out. Now McGregor is alone on the bench, and who knows for how long.