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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor‘s comeback fight is now official.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday night that McGregor will fight Michael Chandler — long the planned matchup — in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas. The card will highlight the UFC’s annual International Fight Week.
McGregor had said Jan. 1 that he’d be fighting Chandler on that date, but it was not made official until White’s announcement. White said the fight would take place at 170 pounds.
McGregor, the biggest star in UFC history, has not fought since July 2021, when he broke his left leg in a fight with Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Chandler coached against one another on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2023, with the plan being that the two would fight after the conclusion of the reality show.
McGregor (22-6) has just one UFC victory since 2016 and has fought only four times since then, not including a blockbuster boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in 2017. The Ireland fighter lost back-to-back fights to Poirier in 2021, the latter via TKO due to the broken leg. McGregor, 35, was the first UFC fighter to ever hold two divisional titles simultaneously, winning the lightweight belt in 2016 while already holding the featherweight championship.
Chandler (23-8) has not fought since a submission loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022. The Missouri fighter, who trains out of Florida, is one of the greatest combatants in Bellator history, a three-time champion at lightweight in the promotion, and signed with the UFC as a free agent in 2020. Chandler, 37, has only lost to top fighters in the UFC, including former champion Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.