UFC president Dana White earlier announced that Conor McGregor would take on Michael Chandler after the culmination of the 31st season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. However, his absence from the USADA’s testing pool has become a hindrance for him to even consider a return this year. But new rumors suggest otherwise.

There are numerous speculations surrounding Conor McGregor’s return. And now, yet another rumor suggests that his return could happen this year. MMA media personnel on Twitter seem confident about it.

Moreover, a Dutch media outlet by the name ‘Main Event NL’ also claimed that fans could see ‘The Notorious’ back inside the Octagon in December.

Will Conor McGregor return this year?

It’s unknown whether the source is reliable or not. Regardless, the Dutch outlet claimed that there is a chance that Conor McGregor makes his Octagon return in the UFC’s last pay-per-view of the year.

Some of the biggest fights are taking place in the latter half of 2023, including Jon Jones‘ first heavyweight title defense against veteran Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden. However, there are no concrete details regarding his rumored comeback. Still, some tend to believe that there might be some truth to it.

Firstly, Conor McGregor has added a considerable amount of muscle since his last fight. He joked about fighting at 185lbs in the first episode of TUF 31, but the weight class is still in the works. Moreover, the Irishman has been linked with certain opponents for his comeback fight. But Michael Chandler looks like the most likely candidate. However, it still isn’t clear whom he’ll fight after recently calling out a champion.

‘The Notorious’ wants to fight the BMF champion

After Justin Gaethje won the BMF title by knocking Dustin Poirier out, Conor McGregor shared a tweet expressing his interest in fighting for that strap. He even dismissed his planned fight against ‘Iron’ Chandler. It created more doubts regarding what action the UFC would take for McGregor’s eventual return.

However, Justin Gaethje showed no interest at all. He had already mentioned earlier that this could be his last run for the title. So ‘The Highlight’ claimed that he wanted to face the best fighters. Furthermore, he made another claim in terms of McGregor’s USADA woes. The new BMF champion believes that Conor McGregor is on steroids.

READ MORE: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Manager Comes Out Guns Blazing at “Bit*h” Conor McGregor’s After the Irishman Laid Claim on Justin Gaethje’s BMF Strap Following His KO at UFC 291

Conor McGregor is unlikely to fight for a divisional title soon. However, the BMF belt is not out of the question. Considering his star power, Dana White may just bring in ‘The Notorious’ to end the year on a high. But we still wait to see if this rumor turns out to be true.

What do you think? Is McGregor returning in 2023? Drop your comments below.

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