Conor McGregor has used Donald Trump’s famous phrase to hint at his sensational return to the UFC octagon, with a potential fight against Michael Chandler at a White House event in the summer
Conor McGregor is stirring up excitement for his planned comeback, taking a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook.
The Irish fighter has not stepped into the cage since his first-round defeat to long-standing adversary Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. McGregor was set to make a much-anticipated return in June 2024 against ex-Bellator champion Michael Chandler, but an injury forced him to withdraw.
When both Trump and UFC chief Dana White announced plans to host a UFC event on the South Lawn of the White House, McGregor was quick to express his interest in participating in the proposed showcase. However, many were sceptical, doubting that the 37-year-old truly intends to make another comeback to the octagon.
In October, McGregor surprised fans by announcing that his UFC return fight was confirmed, but White swiftly downplayed these comments. The ‘Notorious’ risked missing the White House event in June entirely after receiving an 18-month ban for drugs following three missed tests in 2024. Initially facing a two-year suspension, he has instead been banned until 20 March, reports All Out Fighting.
The UFC and their new broadcast partners, Paramount+, appear to have major plans for the Irishman after he shared an image of a billboard in Times Square, New York, displaying his likeness at the heart of the famous commercial hub. McGregor drew inspiration from a well-known Trump catchphrase, captioning the post: “It will be my great honour to “MAKE UFC GREAT AGAIN!” Only on @paramountplus.”
Since his promotional debut in 2013, McGregor has shattered numerous records and taken on some of the sport’s biggest names, including Poirier, Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez. However, it appears the fighter is eyeing one final run before hanging up his gloves.
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Looking ahead to his potential comeback, the 37-year-old Dubliner is keen to settle his score with Chandler once and for all. Chandler himself is now more optimistic than ever that the pair will finally meet in the octagon. The two served as opposing coaches on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ series in 2023 before their scheduled bout was called off.
During the “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” broadcast, the former Bellator champion made an appearance on the show with host Bert Kreischer. In his brief cameo, Chandler suggested that a potential blockbuster showdown with McGregor could be back on.
“I will say, it’s gonna be a big year,” Chandler said. “Number one, like you said, the UFC is now on Paramount+, the entire year…for the multitude of [years]…and also, there’s a rumour going around. We can’t confirm nor deny, but it does sound like I might be handing Conor McGregor a good ol’ passionate, ‘red, white and blue’ butt whooping in the South Lawn of the White House sometime this summer. And that’s the plan, let’s go.”
McGregor’s long-time coach, John Kavanagh, has also offered fans some encouragement after revealing in November that his star fighter is back training regularly at the gym. “We’re 100 per cent in,” he said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “He’s asked me to basically lay out a programme between now and June of how we’ll ramp up our training.
“I don’t really get involved in that, but from a training point of view, he’s already tasked me with putting together a team of suitable training partners. We’ll do some of it in the gym, some of it in his house. So he’s fully locked in that we’re going to be making the walk in – what is it, six, seven months?”
