'Free The Mac'… Conor McGregor makes cryptic series of statements amid heated dispute over UFC comeback fight date
08/25/2024 12:03 PM
Conor McGregor has shared new training footage on social media, but everyone is talking about his caption.
The legendary former two-weight world champion hasn’t been inside the UFC octagon since July of 2021 when he suffered a gruesome broken leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy. He was due to return at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler, but was forced out with a broken toe on just weeks’ notice.
Following that cancelation, McGregor pushed to have the fight moved to UFC 310 in December, which also worked for his rival. But the promotion seem less interested in such a meeting and it now seems he won’t fight within this year at all.
- Who is Conor McGregor?Step inside the hedonistic life of UFC's 'notorious' bad boy and legendary double champ
Conor McGregor posts new footage with ‘#FreeTheMac’ message
In a recent series of posts, Conor McGregor showed off his post-injury bag work, throwing a few punches before launching elbows at the heavy bag. The video garnered 6.4million views, with many fans surprised by the caption.
The Irishman tagged the photo as “#FreeTheMac”, with fans demanding that the UFC “release the beast”. He then tweeted a message that read “When I get free”, which drove readers into a meltdown as it was viewed 1million times in less than a day.
McGregor reportedly has two fights left on his deal with the UFC, with the first of those final two fights being a showdown with Chandler. He has bought in to BKFC and teased a potential fight there when he is a free agent for the first time since joining MMA’s top promotion over a decade ago.
Dana White claimed Conor McGregor wouldn’t fight this year
The controversy surrounding McGregor’s future really began to take hold when UFC boss Dana White declared that the Irishman wouldn’t be returning this year. The bombshell arrived earlier this month after it had appeared to be a known fact that he would face Chandler at UFC 310.
"We talked and he wants to fight," White told the media recently when asked when McGregor will make his return to the cage after over three years of inactivity. "We'll figure it out. Not this year. He won't fight this year."
This led to outrage from fans, as well as both of the fighters who declared that they had been under the impression that they were fighting on December 7. The event is set for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where the majority of McGregor’s fights take place.
Conor McGregor demands December fight date from Dana White
McGregor had to take to social media to make his case for a December comeback, telling his promoter in a now-deleted message on X, formerly Twitter: "Ah Dana, December is the date. Bring the calendar year home with a winning event!
“Come on now, what's this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. December! Tell Dana and UFC we want December! We deserve December!" Since the message, White appeared to take a different tact with regards McGregor’s next steps.
“You can imagine after I said that Conor was blowing me up going 'I'm definitely fighting this year’,” White told SportsNet. "When we get to a point where we're setting a fight and I believe that a Conor McGregor fight is going to happen, I will announce it.
“As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year… Conor is saying he wants to fight in December. We'll see how it plays out."
- Who is Dana White? All you need to know about the CEO and President of the UFC
