Return of the Mac?
By Ryan Mullen
Conor McGregor could potentially (Image: Getty Images)
“The Notorious” Conor McGregor has sounded off about his frustrations with his current UFC contract.
The UFC has not yet officially announced McGregor’s return, despite the demand from both fighters and fans. Even his old rival, Nate Diaz has taken to social media, stating: “They want you to die before you get out these contracts.” and “Free Conor.” via X (formerly known as Twitter).
McGregor himself has voiced his issues with how it’s being handled. On the Mac Life podcast he said: “ I was hoping for a December date, then a January date, then it keeps getting pushed back, then I lose interest and stop training for a while. “ McGregor has a lot of aspirations for things like free agency, and acting. Recently starring in a remake of Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal.
This is not the first time McGregor has struggled with getting a fight booked. In 2021, McGregor was having a difficult time getting a fight booked with rival Dustin Poirier. The fight was rumoured to be happening for a long time. UFC CEO Dana White did not book it until the two fighters came together and agreed to book a charity match instead of fighting on a UFC Main Card.
McGregor is not the only one being hurt by this. Number six contender Michael Chandler was supposed to be his return opponent, and has spent a lot of time working to make the fight happen, yet the UFC refuses to book the fight. Chandler has been waiting to fight since 2022, coached on the Ultimate Fighter with McGregor in 2023, and the fight was supposed to be made for December, yet it’s been continually pushed back. Chandler has tirelessly tried to get a fight going. Going as far as to promote the fight via a callout during WWE’s Monday Night Raw, but has still gotten nothing back UFC.
McGregor’s return is highly anticipated (Images: Getty Images)
However, it seems that the UFC has finally given in, as recently McGregor has told ESPN that “We got confirmation a few days ago that it’s all systems go.” Notably, this is only after McGregor did a tour of several news outlets, including ESPN, The MMA Hour, The Mac Life Podcast, talking about his plans for free agency and acting.
Not everyone in the UFC is a fan of the way that McGregor has been acting. Former middleweight champion- and self-admitted “company man” -Sean “Tarzan” Strickland had some stern words for the former double-champion. When he was asked about the return of McGregor, Strickland said: “Do we still care about Conor McGregor? Is he still a name in the UFC? Dude, go retire on a Yacht.” via an interview with “The Schmo” on YouTube.
A lot is still up in the air about how McGregor will end his contract. Nobody knows if he’ll get re-signed or if he’ll go into free agency and fight Manny Pacquiao, or if he’ll start an acting career. The only sure thing is that the UFC needs to treat their fighters better than they do.