7/28/26
Conor McGregor, as many know, was injured in his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 just seconds into the fight. He suffered a torn meniscus and ACL in his right leg, which is the second ACL tear of his career. This first, ironically in his first fight with Holloway back in 2013. As anticlimactic as his return was, he is going one more time around the horn. McGregor will need surgery on his knee, which will at least be an 8-9 month recovery. This would put him being cleared in March or April from the injury itself. Then, when adding a full training camp of 12 weeks, the timeline moves to July or August of 2027. This is the same time as International Fight Week, which he says is his ideal return date.
Dana White also says that McGregor won’t fight for a year, which again would put his return in the summer of 2027. McGregor has one more fight left on his contract, and he wants to finish his time in the UFC on his terms. Who will he fight, though? He wants the fight with Holloway again, and Holloway wants it too, but Max won’t sit on the sidelines for a year waiting for a McGregor who may or may not fight. Holloway is still in his prime and in a weight class that he can thrive in, so he needs fights in the meantime. The choice that makes the most sense right now is Michael Chandler, as they have been building a fight between these two for years and it was even scheduled at one time. McGregor pulled out due to injury, though, and the fight never happened. With Chandler and McGregor both on losing streaks and at the end of their careers, paired with the history of the two, this is likely the fight to make.
The biggest question is whether McGregor actually makes it to the dance. He doesn’t have to fight for money and has already suffered one of the worst injuries in the sport as well as multiple knee surgeries. If he fights, it will be for his own pride and legacy as he wants to go out with a win and on his terms. Any time McGregor fights, the MMA world will tune in as he is that big of a star but fans would not blame him if he chose to ride off into the sunset. He is the biggest star to ever come from the sport and he transcends MMA. He played a big role in the success of the company and no one will ever forget that. He is almost 40 though and he doesn’t need to fight. He wants to come back and fans will tune in no matter what but a lot of questions still loom over the return of the Mac.
