5 months ago
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THE new date for Conor McGregor’s comeback clash with Michael Chandler has seemingly been revealed.
The MMA superstar was due to make his long-awaited octagon return last month in the main event of UFC 303 in Las Vegas.
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GETTYBut he suffered a broken left pinky toe in one of his final sparring sessions before he was due to jet out to Sin City for the final stages of his training camp.
McGregor, 36, had earmarked September for his cage comeback, although UFC president Dana White refused to entertain that idea.
SunSport understands the UFC has the headliners in place for all but one of their remaining pay-per-view events this year.
And according to veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, the UFC brass are hoping to have the Return of the Mac close out their PPV schedule on December 14.
During the latest episode of The MMA Hour, he said: “As of right now, as I said recently, the hope is Conor vs Chandler in December.
“On that December 14 pay-per-view.
“Conor even tweeted to Michael Chandler a couple of days ago, saying, ‘Just spoke to Dana [White], and everything is in place.’
“And he’s hoping that he fights in 2024. So that’s the layout, right there.”
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Inside McGregor's Notorious lifestyle
With more sides to his personality than an Octagon, Conor McGregor's rise has been an enthralling watch.
Going from UFC icon to entrepreneur and Hollywood star, the Irishman has transcended the sport he helped bring to the masses.
He has four children with fiancee Dee Devlin and the family enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
McGregor has not fought in UFC since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021.
That has not stopped him amassing a net worth of over £150m thanks to his Proper No Twelve whiskey and fashion line.
And he is due to return to the Octagon at UFC 303 in an eagerly-awaited headline clash with Michael Chandler.
McGregor also starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the Amazon Prime remake of classic movie Road House, although he is dreading his mum seeing one X-rated scene.
Notorious turned up to the premiere in a £60,000 suit that was outdone by his £460k watch.
The only thing sharper than his fashion sense is his tongue and the Dubliner has several bitter spats under his belt, including with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
That row led to one of his biggest controversies in 2018 as he travelled 3,000 miles to confront Khabib in a vicious attack on his bus.
He pleaded guilty to assault after punching a man in a pub in 2018 and had his £150k Bentley seized by police for driving offences four years later.
Joe Rogan lashed out at McGregor in a four-letter outburst and the Irishman has also fired shots at Jake Paul, KSI and Tommy Fury.
Boxing great Floyd Mayweather also has McGregor on his enemy list after the pair clashed in a cross-sport bout in 2017.
Read all of our latest Conor McGregor stories.
Former two-division champion McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier three years ago.
The UFC’s poster boy went through a painstaking rehab to get himself fighting fit and was left devastated by his first-ever withdrawal from an octagon outing.
He wrote on social media: “We were so f***ing super ready for this fight it is absolutely gut-wrenching to take.
“We had a lapse in concentration and engaged in a training session without wearing the full protective gear.
“And I hit the toe off the elbow and broke the toe clean. It needs a few weeks that’s it.
“I couldn’t justify to my team, or fans, that I make the walk hindered again. That walk has been seen.
“This next walk has got to be, and it will be, 100 per cent Conor McGregor. The fans deserve it and we are getting close.
“A slight lapse in concentration and a nuisance of an injury was picked up.
“That’s it. Take the lesson and move forward. I will get this back. I’ve got to.
“I’ve got two fights left on my contract. I’m coming to shine. I gotta just take my time.
“I’ll be back. See ya’s soon. See ya at the top. Chandler or not.”
Fan favourite McGregor will enter his long-overdue clash with Chandler on a two-fight skid thanks to back-to-back defeats to Dustin Poirier.
The Irishman hasn’t tasted victory in FOUR-AND-A-HALF years, with his last win being his 40-second demolition of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.
AP
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