Conor McGregor's Coach Shares Major Update on Return of UFC Star

McGregor has been in the gym actively preparing for his long-awaited return.

Drew Beaupré | Nov 13, 2023

Conor McGregor's Coach Shares Major Update on Return of UFC Star /

SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh has shared an update on when fans can expect to see Conor McGregor finally return to action with the UFC.

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A coaching role on Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler was supposed to set the stage for McGregor to compete again for the first time in more than two years, but unfortunately the former two-division champion’s return has now been pushed to 2024.

The fact that “The Notorious” reentered the USADA testing pool last month appeared to be a significant step forward even with the UFC set to end its partnership with that organization at the start of next year, and during an in-studio appearance on The MMA Hour this week Kavanagh detailed when he expects McGregor to finally get back into the cage.

Conor McGregor Michael Chandler — McGregor was a coach on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter. / (Zuffa LLC)

“We were hoping for April,” Kavanagh explained to Ariel Helwani. “That was the hope, that was what we were told, and then now it seems to be the summertime…Do we really need him for UFC 300? That’s gonna be such a massive event. Are they holding him back for International Fight Week? I don’t really know.”

A return for the promotion’s biggest star at UFC 300 has been a major talking point among MMA fans in recent months, but unfortunately the timeframe mentioned by Kavanagh does seem to indicate that “The Notorious” won’t be a part of that milestone event for the UFC.

McGregor’s extended absence from the Octagon has sparked some debate about whether or not the 35-year-old still has the drive to compete, and although they’re frustrated by the lack of a concrete return date Kavanagh did note that his fighter is hard at work preparing for his return to action.

Conor McGregor UFC — McGregor's last fight ended after the first round. :: (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

“At least he’s getting training in, and that’s so important…And this is what I was saying to him as well, ‘Yeah, okay. It’s a knockback that we’re hearing it was April but now it’s July, but it’s not the end of the world. It is an extra couple of months. It’s not great. But hey, you’re enjoying your training at the moment, let’s just keep that going.'”

McGregor’s last victory came when he headlined UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone in 2020 and stopped “Cowboy” in just 40 seconds. The Irishman returned the following year and suffered back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier, and the broken ankle he sustained in their most recent meeting kicked off what has now stretched into a more than two-year layoff.

The 35-year-old has drawn the ire of some of his fellow fighters as well as fans due to his habit of making call outs without having a fight booked, but whenever McGregor does return it will undoubtedly be one of the biggest combat sports spectacles of the year.

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Published Nov 13, 2023