McGregor announced he will face Chandler in June by facing off with a TeletubbyCredit: Instagram

McGregor has been out of action since fracturing his tibia and fibula during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

Former three-time Bellator lightweight champion Chandler has been pencilled in as the Irishman’s comeback opponent for more than a year.

The pair were rival coaches on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter with an idea for them to throw down late last year, but months on, a fight date is still yet to be officially confirmed.

McGregor has claimed he will face Chandler on June 29 – the date of UFC 303 – which he doubled down on minutes before the UFC 300 ceremonial weigh-ins.

The 35-year-old shared a bizarre photo on Instagram of himself squaring off with a yellow Teletubby in front of a brick wall.

He captioned the post: “The fight is on!

“McGregor vs Chandler! See you on the date I said.”

However, UFC chief White played down claims of an announcement during the Power Slap 7 post-event presser.

McGregor is expected to return to action against Chandler in the summerCredit: Getty

Having been quizzed on McGregor headlining UFC 303 during International Fight Week, White replied: “I saw the post.

“I don’t know what the Teletubby means, but it could be. Hopefully, that’s what we want to do.”

The 54-year-old added: “I can honestly sit here and tell you that we do not have a deal done for the Conor fight.

“I know there are a lot of rumblings and people expect the place to go black and some big f***ing announcement.

“They’re expecting them to walk out. It’s all internet bulls**t.”

McGregor recently shut down talk of retirement amid his longest wait between fights since he made his 2013 UFC debut.

The former two-division champion had taken a remarkable lack of damage prior to his leg break during his 28-fight (22-6) MMA career.

He has only ever been stopped once via strikes (his second fight with Poirier in 2021), with his other defeats all coming via submission.