Mixed martial arts’ biggest superstar, Conor McGregor, is supposedly returning to the UFC’s Octagon this year. So, when is his proposed return date, and who will stand across from him inside the cage?

Fight fans and casual observers haven’t watched “Notorious” duke it out with an opponent for over two years. He last competed in July 2021 when he clashed with Dustin Poirier in a trilogy bout at UFC 264. Heading into the heated affair, McGregor and “The Diamond” had both earned one victory apiece over the other. But, their third encounter ended unceremoniously after McGregor broke his leg during the first round.

Now that McGregor is seemingly fully healed from the injury, he’s ready to don the four-ounce MMA gloves once again. In a clip posted to Instagram on January 1, McGregor said that his grand return would take place on June 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada against former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler.

“I’d like to announce the return date for myself, the Notorious Conor McGregor, for the greatest comeback of all time,” McGregor said while holding a (presumably) expensive glass of wine. “[It] will take place in Las Vegas for International Fight Week on June the 29th. Come a little closer. And the opponent: Michael Chandler. And the weight, Mr. Chandler: 185 pounds.”

McGregor then broke out into a villainous laugh to close the “MEGA NEWS ALERT!” Instagram post.

It’s important to note that the UFC has not officially announced the match, as well as June 29 being the date of its annual International Fight Week celebration. This would be the first time the fan event didn’t take place in July.

Another interesting tidbit is that Notorious claimed he and “Iron” would battle at 185 pounds — middleweight — instead of welterweight (170) or lightweight (155). McGregor rose to prominence as a 145-pound featherweight contender, and he snatched the division’s championship in 2015 before capturing the lightweight title. He also has three welterweight tilts under his belt as well — McGregor has never fought in the middleweight class.

And it’s the same story with Chandler. Iron is a career 155-pounder with one welterweight fight on his professional resume, as well as a handful of 165-pound catchweight contests.

So, nothing is set in stone as of the time of this writing. But, considering McGregor’s significance to the sport and the promotion, it’ll likely go down as “The Mac” said. And it sounds like Chandler is all in on the weight and date. “I always said I wanted you at your biggest, your baddest and your best,” Iron wrote in a post on X after McGregor’s announcement. “185 would look good on me.”

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