- Conor McGregor to fight in 2024, but opponent and date unclear.
- Michael Chandler likely opponent, but Saudi Arabia fight also possible.
- UFC confirms comeback, denies specific plans.
Fans' favorite Michael Chandler seems to have been paired with the former two-division champion ever since it was announced in February of last year that they will be coaching season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.
The 35-year-old McGregor recently declared that the highly awaited rematch—his first since suffering a leg break nearly three years ago—will happen in Las Vegas on June 29.
White, however, insists that neither a precise time nor a foe have been determined for the Return of the Mac.
The UFC's President and CEO told Sports Net Canada: "So McGregor will be back this year - possibly him and Chandler. "We'll see how this whole thing plays out."
White's admission that Chandler might not get the money from McGregor that he has been waiting for almost a year stands in stark contrast to his comments regarding the two fighters' battle last November.
In an interview with Crain & Company, he said: "It will be absurd not to engage in that fight.
Turki Al-Alalshikh, Saudi Arabia's Chairman of General Authority and Entertainment, made a similar shocking announcement after White's initial one.
Recently, it was revealed that the powerful Saudi, who has had a major impact on the boxing world in recent months, has been in talks with the UFC leadership about holding The Notorious fight in The Kingdom.
"I tell Caroline, my sister, here, and she's a close friend with McGregor and myself, we are ready to fight with him," He told DAZN.
"We will try maybe, and we will announce it.
"We will do something big and I asked the UFC if there is a chance to have McGregor on this card or in the future."
The UFC had been planning to launch in Saudi Arabia in March, but the event has been rescheduled. According to White, this choice was made to ensure that they could have a big influence in The Kingdom.
"Yes, we moved the card. I know there has been a lot of talk about that the card wasn’t good enough," he said.
"We never even proposed a card to them, we didn’t tell Saudi Arabia about one fight.
"So that’s all b****t. Every time the UFC puts on an event, we want to blow the doors off the place, we want people to be excited.
"It was our first fight ever in Saudi Arabia, and a couple of fights that we wanted to line up, they weren’t ready to go, so we pushed the card back because we are going to deliver."
Since breaking his leg during the trilogy match against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, McGregor has not competed in the octagon.
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