MMA: “The greatest comeback in the history of sport”, Conor McGregor announces his return to the UFC in June

2024-01-01 19:11:30

It was by shaking a large glass of wine, seated at the table of an apparently opulent restaurant, that Conor McGregor set the world of MMA on fire again. On X, ex-Twitter, the Irishman, who has not fought since 2021, announced his big return to the UGC cage. It will be “the greatest comeback in the history of sport,” he said. He will face the American Michael Chandler on June 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. “And we will do that in less than 84 kg (Editor’s note: in middleweight)” he clarified with a mischievous look and an air of delight at his good joke.

Chandler (37 years old, 23 wins and 8 losses) announced that he accepted the fight and that the weight proposed by McGregor posed no problem to him. McGregor’s last fight was on July 10, 2021, against Dustin Poirier: the Irishman gave up in the first round, largely dominated and seriously injured his leg. He suffered from a fractured tibia and had to undergo surgery immediately. From now on, all that is missing is total formalization from the UFC, the organizer.

But we don’t see why the latter would refuse as the Irishman is a legend. A few days ago, McGregor appeared all smiles alongside Cristiano Ronaldo during an evening in Saudi Arabia. “Big announcements are coming,” he promised in his Instagram caption. McGregor remains an icon of his discipline with his arrogance, but also because of this legendary fight against Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 in Las Vegas. He fought that he had lost by submission.

Now all that remains is to leave the restaurant table, forget the glasses of wine and move from words of defiance to actions in the cage. At 35 years old (22 wins, 6 losses), “The Notorious”, his nickname in the industry, has a gigantic challenge ahead of him: to restore an image tarnished by sweeping statements and legal problems. and a healthy lifestyle which has especially lengthened his waistline.