Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, has revealed that the former two-division titleholder is gunning for a return to the Octagon in the first half of 2024.
If this timeline turns out to be true, McGregor will compete for the first time in nearly three years. The last time fight fans saw the Irishman strap on the four-ounce gloves, it was for a trilogy bout with lightweight rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
“We have no date set yet, but within the first half of next year he’ll definitely have his comeback,” Kavanagh told talkSPORT.
McGregor has long been linked to a comeback fight against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler after the pair competed against one another on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter earlier this year. Originally rumored to headline UFC 296 in December, the bout was pushed back to a TBD date in 2024 after the Irishman failed to re-enter the USADA testing pool for a required six months of pre-fight screening.
Conor McGregor receives his Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under @John_Kavanagh
: @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/judoxD6YY9
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) September 5, 2023
:
Conor McGregor Doesn’t Care if His Next Fight is this Saturday or at UFC 300
McGregor has since jumped back in the pool leading many fans to speculate that he would make his comeback at UFC 300 in April.
“Conor just wants to fight,” Kavanagh stated. “If you offered him a fight this Saturday, he’d take it. If it’s UFC 300, great!”
Since capturing the lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez in 2016, Conor McGregor has only seen his hand raised once following a quick finish to UFC Hall of Famer Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in 2020. Overall, he has lost four of his last five, including a loss to legendary pugilist Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather in a crossover boxing bout in 2017.
“We just wanna get back in there, get busy, and hopefully get a few fights together, Kavanagh added.”