McGregor on lack of fight date: 'I'm just out of the loop'

Conor McGregor said he is at a loss as to why the UFC hasn't given him a fight date.

McGregor was expected to battle Michael Chandler, however UFC CEO Dana White told Barstool Sports on Friday that Chandler will square off against former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 in New York on 16 November.

That bout is a rematch of a vacant championship bout at UFC 262 in 2021, with Oliveira capturing a TKO victory in the second round.

"Chandler said, 'I'm done waiting. I want to fight,'" White said on Friday.

In a video on Instagram, Chandler explained his reasoning to fight Oliveira instead of waiting on McGregor.

"Now I get the opportunity to fight Charles Oliveira, become the No 1 contender, and then I've got options," Chandler said in his video.

"If Conor can finally get his house in order, if he can finally string together a couple of sober days, string together a couple of days where he's actually training and actually feeling good, and he can actually finally make good on his promise to make the greatest comeback in combat sports history, if he can finally pony up, then I will fight Conor after I dispatch of Charles Oliveira."

McGregor (22-6) was slated to face Chandler at UFC 303 in July before the bout was scrapped after the 36-year-old Irishman broke his toe. McGregor hasn't fought since sustaining a broken leg in a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

"As far as Chandler rematching Oliveira, I'm happy with the date," McGregor said.

"It's November. Maybe we can still do it after if they're not going to line me up out till maybe December, January, February – one of these dates. Maybe we can still do it.

"I'm just out of the loop with it, you know? All I can do is carry on, doing what I'm doing. I test under the testing administration, I train daily, and that's it. Let's see what happens. Hopefully, it all comes to fruition."