Conor McGregor has confirmed his long-awaited UFC return after he revealed plans are in motion to fight Michael Chandler this summer.

The Irishman seemed destined to fight American rival, Chandler, for much of last year, but no official date ever materialized.

Yet McGregor has now insisted that he has the green light for the bout, set to take place this summer.

Conor McGregor confirms official UFC return

Conor McGregor confirms official UFC return

Speaking toESPN, the 35-year-old said: “We got confirmation a few days ago that it’s all systems go and ‘The Mac’, ‘The Notorious’ will be returning in the UFC Octagon this summer…

“I like Mike. I’m going to bust him up. I’m going to bust Mike up. If I say it gets done, end of – you can put that on my [grave]stone.

“We’ve got great news, it’s all systems go, thumbs up. I got the call, everything is sweet, I hit the gym straightaway…now it’s on [the fight] there’s no messing [around] now.”

Return of The Mac… this summer? 🤔(via@marcraimondi)pic.twitter.com/99Uis6jBNo

The Irishman added: “I have a full-scale UFC Octagon in my home, I got a guy up, we had a full fight just to get that going and camp has begun.”

The pair could headline International Fight Week on June, 29, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – the same venue where McGregor broke his leg against Poirier nearly three years ago.

Matt Hobkinson was a Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Matt is a dedicated football and Formula 1 fan and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the sports. He has previously worked at PA Media, Manchester Evening News, Chronicle Live, Leeds Live and others covering the region’s football clubs and sports stars.