Conor McGregor is still on the road to recovery.
Last Saturday, McGregor was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303, but the bout was removed from the card after McGregor injured his toe. Since then, both fighters have been actively discussing their future plans on social media, with McGregor providing an update on Monday, hinting at a “new date.”
“I admit that what's real is what's real,” McGregor wrote. “I'm excited to have secured a new date.”
In his comments, McGregor praised light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who faced Jiri Prochazka on short notice and defeated him with a stunning head kick knockout in the main event of UFC 303. During fight week, Pereira defended McGregor's decision to pull out of the bout.
When McGregor announced his reasons for withdrawing from the June 29 pay-per-view, he gave no timetable for his return, but later commented that he would not fight again until he was 100% healthy. Chandler has stated on multiple occasions that he will wait to fight McGregor, a bout he has been pursuing for years and that has been closely linked to at least mid-2023 since he and McGregor became head coaches. Ultimate Fighter 31.
Prior to McGregor's latest tweet, Chandler had been offered a fight against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in October, but maintained he was open to facing McGregor at UFC 306, which takes place at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14.
Makhachev brutally denied Chandler's claims, calling the three-time Bellator champion “untrustworthy” and adding that he would “run away” if the opportunity to face McGregor came up again.
Chandler also came under fire from Dustin Poirier, who tried to downplay Makhachev's decision to turn down a rematch with “The Diamond.” Makhachev defeated Poirier at UFC 302, and Poirier has not said whether a rematch is on the cards.
But he had fighting words for Chandler.
“You were choked out and haven't fought since,” Poirier wrote.
Poirier is the most recent opponent for both Chandler and McGregor, defeating Chandler by submission at UFC 281 in November 2022 and winning UFC 264 in July 2021 despite McGregor suffering a broken leg during the fight, an injury that has played a major role in McGregor's absence for the past three years.
