The Conor McGregor roller coaster ride continues, and now there appears to be more doubt (once again) that McGregor may not face Michael Chandler this year.
In new posts on social media, McGregor showed off training footage. However, it came with a curious new hashtag: #FreeTheMac.
McGregor followed this post up with a simple, four-word message: “When I get free.”
This has caused great speculation that McGregor may be asking to be released from his UFC contract. The Irishman, whose frequently delayed fight with Chandler was most recently expected to take place at UFC 310 in Las Vegas this December, reportedly has two fights remaining on his current deal with MMA’s leading promotion.
This also comes days after Belal Muhammad stated that Shavkat Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman are both being considered as title challengers for a welterweight title fight that could take place at the December pay-per-view.
The booking of a title fight may cause great concern about McGregor vs. Chandler at the event, as a title fight has not been featured under a McGregor bout since UFC 196 in 2016.
Conor McGregor Saying He Wants Out Of UFC Contract?
A little less than two weeks ago, UFC CEO Dana White told the media that McGregor would not fight in 2024. This caused the former two-division champion, in a now-deleted tweet, to encourage fans to tell White they want McGregor vs. Chandler to take place in December.
The pair were set to fight after both men coached The Ultimate Fighter season 31 last year, but the rest of 2023 went without any announcement of a fight.
Official confirmation finally came from White following UFC 300, with the two set to battle at UFC 303 in June. But a Dublin press conference earlier in that month was suddenly canceled the day before, and it later emerged that McGregor had suffered a toe injury and chose to withdraw from a fight for the first time in his career.
