McGregor Targets A September Return; Dana White Says ‘I Don’t Know’
Conor McGregor has revealed when he expects to return to the Octagon following his toe injury.
The Irishman pulled out of his fight with Michael Chandler at UFC 303, disappointing MMA fans. The Notorious has not had a UFC fight since his defeat against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. That was in 2021; his UFC record stands at three defeats in his last four fights. He suffered a broken leg, which at the time was seen as a career-threatening injury.
As McGregor tries desperately to make a comeback, there are concerns he will aggravate his injury. Chael Sonnen also suggested that McGregor was in rehab, which Team McGregor has shut down. Sonnen also stated that he does not expect the fight to happen this year. But McGregor expects to be back by September, which could put him in line for a fight at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
McGregor’s Return
“We just adjust. Everything is moving. Everything is moving parts, so I’m good. The injury is a nuisance. It’s painful. I’m not going to lie. It’s very, very painful – probably even more than the leg, and that’s the truth. I’ll tell you why: The leg was at least wrapped up. I couldn’t access it. The foot is just there still. It’s like it’s exposed or something. It’s a bit painful, but it comes with the territory. I need to just dial it in, get my training camps correct.August-September … August-September, I’d love. You know the way it is. I’m in recovery mode,” McGregor said
Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that Chandler is receptive to that fight. Chandler has hinted at the idea of facing BMF Champion Max Holloway. Holloway is in demand after stopping Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. With just a second left in the fight, Holloway landed a big right hand to end the fight. Facing Holloway secures Chandler a possible title and makes the McGregor fight even bigger. That would leave McGregor looking for a new opponent. Since his training has been on preparing for Chandler, any changes to an opponent are not ideal, given how long he has been inactive.
There is also plenty of competition from other fighters who want to fight at The Sphere. It will be the first UFC event at the place, making it a mega event. Jon Jones could be back in the summer, making him an ideal candidate to headline there. There is also the chance of Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso trilogy to headline there, given their success from UFC Noche last year.
Reaction
That leaves McGregor in a difficult position as he will want to headline a card. Based on the current live gates, McGregor is still popular. The Chandler fight set a UFC record for a live gate of over $20 million. The presser for the Chandler fight also sold out in nine minutes. Despite this, not all MMA fighters were expecting McGregor to return. UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria had this to say, while Dana White remained coy over McGregor’s return.
“You are mentally broken. That is your biggest lesson. You doubt yourself, your abilities, your preparation, that’s why you don’t show up,” Topuria said
“I don’t know right now. Yea, you know are schedule is already laid out, so we’ll see. I’m not doing anything until I know that Conor is healthy. It’s not even worth talking about. You know, what about September? What about October? He’s not ready. So why even talk about that,” White
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