Conor McGregor, the former two-division UFC champion, is anticipating a successful comeback as he sets his sights on his fight against Michael Chandler. The fighter suffered an injury in July 2021 in his third bout with Dustin Poirier and has not fought since. However, he is excited about the matchup with Chandler and believes it will be the “greatest return in combat sports.” His goal is to wrap a steel bar around Chandler and leave his head hanging off. While no timeline has been confirmed for his return, the UFC is reportedly targeting November or December.

McGregor has left the anti-doping program but needs to be back for six months to be eligible for competition. Chandler is relatively new to the promotion with a 2-3 record over five UFC appearances, but he is quickly becoming one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division. McGregor is happy with the opponent and looks forward to consistent fights after experiencing numerous on-and-off fights since becoming a two-division champion in 2016. He has only fought four times since, with his only win coming in 2020 against Donald Cerrone.

McGregor wants more consistency and aims for three to four fights per year. He is interested in fighting in the lightweight, welterweight, and featherweight divisions. McGregor has a competitive attitude and even traded barbs with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski regarding a potential matchup. McGregor is focused on TUF 31 and his matchup with Chandler, but the fighter has no plans to retire any time soon.