Former UFC champion Conor McGregor asks Turki Alalshikh to book UFC return after Michael Chandler fight falls through.
‘The Notorious’ is in a bit of a weird spot. Conor McGregor hasn’t appeared in the cage since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their July 2021 trilogy bout. Since then, the former champion has spent time on the shelf recovering. However, McGregor finally booked his return against Michael Chandler earlier this summer for UFC 303.
Sadly, that bout didn’t end up happening. Two weeks out from fight day, Conor McGregor pulled out, citing a broken toe. Despite hopes that the Irishman would rebook his return for December, the UFC had other plans. Earlier this week, the company announced Chandler would instead face Charles Oliveira in a November rematch.
The news seemingly caught Conor McGregor off-guard. Speaking at a BKFC press conference late last week, the former UFC champion reacted to news of Chandler vs. Oliveira. There, McGregor admitted that he doesn’t have any major issues with the fight, as long as he can fight in early 2025.
Conor McGregor requests help from Turki Alalshikh to book UFC return
In the press conference, the Irishman also requested help from Turki Alalshikh to book his UFC return. The Saudi advisor has become close with Dana White in recent months and publicly lobbied to bring Conor McGregor to his home country. It seems that the former champion is close with Alalshikh as well, and ready to call in a favor.
“I got tested this evening,” Conor McGregor stated. “I got tested today by the Drug Free Sport Agency. I’m the most tested athlete on the roster, by more than twice the amount. I believe I’ve been tested maybe 13 times—the same number as the seconds it took me to finish Jose Aldo. Thirteen times. And you know, actually, funny enough, Jose Aldo was number two in testing. I think he’s been tested six times. So, I’ve been tested more than twice as much as all these other athletes, yet I struggle to get a date.” (h/t Forbes)
He continued, “You know, I’ve talked to Sheik Turki and said, “Sheik Turki, can you assist me here? As far as [Michael] Chandler rematching [Charles] Oliveira, I’m happy with the date. It’s November. Maybe we can still do it after if they’re not going to line me up until December, January, February, or one of those dates. Maybe we can still do it. I’m just a bit out of the loop with it. All I can do is carry on doing what I’m doing. I test under the testing administration, and I train daily. That’s it. Let’s see what happens. Hopefully, it all comes to fruition.”