Conor McGregor is set to end his five-year hiatus from mixed martial arts, with the former two-division champion confirming that he will compete at a UFC event scheduled for July 11, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The announcement corroborates a recent report by veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, who stated on his YouTube show that the International Fight Week date was the target for the Irish superstar’s long-awaited comeback.
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McGregor first confirmed the report via a caption on a post from his Instagram account, while sharing two pictures of himself in a bathroom mirror:
“The rumours are true,” McGregor wrote in his caption. “Mr. Confidence returns to save fighting again! Call your grandma! Nanny, we did it!”
Negotiations had been ongoing regarding a new contract for McGregor, especially following the UFC’s shift away from the pay-per-view model under a new media rights deal with Paramount. McGregor revealed these contract negotiations back in January during a live stream of the game Roblox with his son and popular streamer Caylus.
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McGregor has not competed since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. His return schedule was further complicated by an 18-month anti-doping suspension, from which he was only recently deemed eligible to compete as of March 2026.
The news also comes shortly after McGregor was left off the UFC: Freedom 250 event at the White House after campaigning for a spot on the card since before the event was even officially announced.
Max Holloway has emerged as a leading candidate following recent comments that caught Helwani’s attention.
“I thought Max Holloway’s comments over the weekend said it all,” Helwani noted, suggesting “Blessed” is angling for a rematch of their 2013 bout.
Holloway, a former featherweight champion and former “BMF” titleholder, recently expressed a desire to avenge his loss to McGregor on his Kick stream.
The matchup offers a compelling narrative of two all-time greats running it back, though it remains to be seen if the promotion will book a rematch that Holloway is actively pursuing.
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Michael Chandler remains the most persistent name linked to McGregor, having been booked to face him twice previously, only to have the bouts fall through.
The pair coached against each other on The Ultimate Fighter 31, building a rivalry that has yet to culminate in an actual fight in the Octagon.
While he has campaigned for a McGregor fight for years now, UFC President Dana White has ruled out Chandler’s name for now.
A fight between Conor and Jorge Masvidal was floated around as a possibility when both were campaigning to be a part of the White House card. Now, the dream fight has become a popular theory among fans after recent developments regarding his UFC contract status.
Masvidal recently revealed on the podcast, Death Row MMA, that he was offered to fight on the undercard of Ronda Rousey’s MMA return on Netflix, but claims that the UFC declined the request, telling him they have made other plans for him.
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Fans quickly connected the dots, speculating that the promotion is holding the former welterweight title challenger for a high-profile return bout against McGregor in July.
While these potential fights may be exciting for Conor and his fans, it should be noted that the UFC has made no formal announcement just yet. Fans will have to wait for a word from Dana White or another UFC executive as to whether or not his return date is official.
(L-R) Conor McGregor and Dana WhiteChris Unger/Zuffa LLC-Getty Images)
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC-Getty Images))
Even then, we can never truly know with McGregor. There is still a very high possibility that nothing has been confirmed at all and that McGregor is simply making bold and empty claims about his return, as he has done in the past.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
