Conor McGregor deletes injury update after taunt from UFC opponent Michael Chandler

The Irishman’s long-awaited comeback was postponed in June after he sustained a broken toe

Alex Pattle
Combat Sports Correspondent
Monday 22 July 2024 04:57 EDT
Comments
UFC's Robert Whittaker: 'I believe I'm the most dangerous middleweight ever'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Conor McGregor responded to a taunt from UFC opponent Michael Chandler by claiming his “foot is fully healed”, only to delete the X post shortly thereafter.

McGregor was due to face Chandler in June, but the Irishman suffered a broken toe two weeks before the fight, forcing the bout to be postponed indefinitely.

While fans await a new date for McGregor’s first fight in three years, the 36-year-old has been promoting Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, in which he recently bought a stake.

And as part of that promotion, McGregor filmed himself training bare-handed over the weekend, sharing the footage on X. Chandler, 38, was quick to respond: “But show us the bare foot knuckles...”

That drew a reply from McGregor, who told the American, “Hey bum beggar. The foot is fully healed,” before deleting the tweet.

McGregor was due to headline UFC 303 against Chandler on 29 June, but his withdrawal led to major changes to the fight card. The biggest alteration saw light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira compete in the new main event, defending his title in a rematch with former title holder Jiri Prochazka. Pereira won via second-round knockout, having also stopped Prochazka in November.

Conor McGregor addressing Michael Chandler in a now-deleted tweet
Conor McGregor addressing Michael Chandler in a now-deleted tweet (@TheNotoriousMMA via X)

No new date has been revealed for McGregor vs Chandler, although the Irishman said last week that the UFC’s December pay-per-view appeals to him.

McGregor last fought in July 2021, sustaining a broken leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier, who knocked out the Irishman six months earlier. Meanwhile, Chandler last competed in November 2022, losing to Poirier via submission.

McGregor’s last win was a first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone in January 2020, when he stopped the American in 40 seconds.

That result was a bright spot in a difficult streak for McGregor, whose only subsequent fights have been his losses to Poirier, while his preceding bouts saw him submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 and stopped by Floyd Mayweather in a 2017 boxing match.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in