Conor McGregor announces first fight in five years but deletes statement within minutes in U-turn
Conor McGregor has declared he is ready to step back into the octagon for the first time in nearly half a decade.
The Irish fighter posted on X earlier today that he has agreed to face an opponent on a specific date, though he swiftly removed the message from the platform.
McGregor wrote: “I have been offered an opponent and a date and I accept.
“Waiting on my contract.”
The former two-weight UFC champion did not reveal who he would be fighting or when the bout would take place.
His announcement arrives just days after UFC boss Dana White confirmed progress on plans for an unprecedented White House event this summer.
McGregor last competed in July 2021, when he broke his leg in the opening round of his third fight with Dustin Poirier.
The 37-year-old was scheduled to return against Michael Chandler in June 2024 following their stint as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, but a broken pinky toe forced him to withdraw from the Las Vegas bout.
Conor McGregor has declared he is ready to step back into the octagon for the first time in nearly half a decade
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Several names have emerged as potential opponents for his comeback, including Chandler, Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington and Nate Diaz.
McGregor will become eligible to compete on March 20 after serving an anti-doping suspension for three ‘whereabouts failures’.
White revealed over the weekend that matchmaking for the historic event on President Donald Trump’s lawn had begun.
The card was finalised last week.
Conor McGregor was the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously
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He said: “We have like two different options laid out, and the matchmaking process has already started.
“We got the White House card done last week.”
The UFC chief subsequently tempered his comments, clarifying that while the card had been constructed, it was not yet confirmed.
White added: “We laid out two different options. I didn’t say it was done; I said the card was built. I’m not talking about the White House card [any more].”
Conor McGregor is an Irish former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion
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McGregor recently suggested his existing deal with the promotion was effectively null following the UFC’s £6.1 billion broadcast agreement with Paramount+.
During a Roblox livestream, he claimed negotiations were set for February, arguing that the elimination of pay-per-view sales rendered his contract obsolete given his status as the highest-grossing pay-per-view attraction in UFC history.
His deleted post indicating acceptance of terms suggests any contractual dispute may have been resolved.
Should McGregor’s return materialise, it would mark his first fight since a Dublin jury found him civilly liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a hotel in 2018, a verdict he unsuccessfully appealed.
