The only person more eager than UFC fans to see Conor McGregor back in the octagon seems to be Conor McGregor himself. The Irishman hasn’t fought in three years, but for good reason. Having snapped his leg in two like a twig at UFC 264, ‘Mac’ has been healing up. Until last year that is, when he appeared on season 31 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ opposite Michael Chandler.

As with all other ‘TUF’ head coaches, the duo were scheduled to fight after the finale, and a UFC 303 June 29 date was set for it. However, McGregor injured his leg again and had to pull out. Since then, he has apparently healed up and has been relentlessly posting clips and images of his training. Indeed, he has asked Dana White for a 2024 date to fight Chandler, even as the UFC CEO expressed uncertainty that would materialize. But, the Irishman has made clear yet again that he wants to fight by the end of the year and has even floated a possible date recently.

Conor McGregor willing to fight on UFC’s last PPV for 2024

Conor McGregor was recently asked by combat sports journalist Chisanga Malata if a December 14 date to fight Chandler would suit him. To which, the Irishman, decked out in a flamboyant flamingo pink suit, with his signature shades on, replied, without any hesitation: “That sounds good to me.”

The Irishman has recently floated a possible move to the BKFC after his current UFC contract expires, but it seems it will have to wait until at least December. December 14 is not a random date that the reporter arbitrarily pulled out of their sack.

In fact, the date is the rumored date for UFC 310, the UFC’s last PPV event of 2024. And this date seems the most feasible (for reasons we will see later) one for McGregor, who has insisted he wants to put an end to the wait and fight in 2024 itself. But it is by no means a done deal.

Even veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, who usually has inside scoops on these topics, can only say there is “hope” that McGregor-Chandler will finally happen at UFC 310. The only thing that could be said for certain is that the fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the biggest superstar in the history of mixed martial arts.

‘Mac’s unprecedented and his continuing popularity was made clear once more as UFC 303, prior to ‘Mac’s pull-out, became the highest-grossing gate event in the over thirty-year history of the UFC. But, why is UFC 310 the most likely candidate for the return of the ‘Mac’?

UFC 310 possibly the only available slot for McGregor-Chandler

UFC 304 and 305 have already been announced. So we can eliminate July and August as possible dates for McGregor’s comeback. UFC 306 is a good candidate, being the first-ever combat sports event in Las Vegas’ iconic ‘Sphere’.

But, a slip-up on the part of UFC’s French-Canadian commentary team last week revealed that the September 14 card will feature two title bouts at the top, neither of them being McGregor-Chandler. UFC 307 is another good candidate, but there are rumors that Alexa Grasso will face Valentina Shevchenko.

UFC 308 like the UFC’s other October cards will be in Abu Dhabi, and will most likely see Islam Makhachev defend his lightweight title for a fourth time. As for UFC 309 in November, it is widely expected to be headlined by Jones-Miocic at the iconic Madison Square Garden, where the fight was supposed to be held last year before it was shelved. This is why a UFC 310, December 14 date is the most likely candidate for a possible 2024 McGregor comeback date, with UFC 307 being a somewhat distant second.