Conor McGregor’s UFC return appears to be coming together behind the scenes.

The former dual-weight champion hasn’t fought since breaking his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

Leg and foot injuries have blighted McGregor’s MMA careerCredit: Getty

An eagerly anticipated comeback bout against Michael Chandler was supposed to go down at UFC 303 on June 29, but McGregor injured his pinky toe and withdrew from the card.

‘Notorious’ is already back in the gym working towards a new fight date.

On Thursday evening, he suggested that official confirmation about when his scrap with Chandler will take place could be on the way.

Taking to X, McGregor posted: “Comeback loading…”

‘Iron Mike’ excited fans by making a similar ‘loading’ post earlier in the week in response to someone suggesting he and McGregor will clash at UFC 306 on September 14.

Dana White has already spent tens of millions putting together the first-ever combat sports show at the Las Vegas Sphere.

However, the UFC CEO has also ruled out McGregor returning on that card and veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani is sure there’ll be no U-turn.

“There will be no chance Conor and Chandler will fight at the Sphere, it’s just too expensive, and Conor commands too much money,” he said on The MMA Hour.

A broken toe has delayed McGregor’s comebackCredit: @thenotoriousmma – instagram

But the plan remains to fight Chandler this yearCredit: Getty

“At this point, if I had to put money on Conor vs Chandler, if I had to, and this is not me reporting it, so don’t go crazy.

“But the way the wind is blowing at this juncture, it seems to be December.

“I don’t think they are going to create a date.”

Fans may be waiting a bit longer than expected to see McGregor back in the Octagon, but it seems everyone is working hard to ensure it happens at some point in 2024.