Conor McGregor wants to show off that his surgically repaired leg is better than ever.
July 2021 marks the last time “The Notorious” stepped foot in the Octagon. Unfortunately for him, that last step saw his leg snap in two.
McGregor suffered a first-round technical knockout loss rival, Dustin Poirier, in their trilogy bout after breaking his leg, throwing out a kick before stepping backward (watch highlights). The injury, obviously, ended the fight as soon as possible, and McGregor went on to heal his wounds before landing his first movie role and recently booking his second career coaching spot on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 this summer against Michael Chandler. The pair are expected to fight sometime after the season’s conclusion.
“I’m looking forward to it,” McGregor told Daily Mirror. “I’m looking forward to it. I feel good, feel energetic, feel ready. I’m throwing up my high kicks faster than I’m throwing up my jab, so I’m very excited to get back.”
The Irishman noted that he’ll be heading to Las Vegas, Nevada tomorrow (Tues., Feb. 14, 2023) to begin filming TUF 31 with Chandler and company. Bantamweight and Lightweight are the two divisions currently expected to be featured.
McGregor’s last victory came in Jan. 2020, defeating Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone via a 40-second technical knockout (watch highlights) at 170 pounds. No weight class has yet to be determined (along with the date) for the Chandler match up, but both men have expressed their willingness to compete at Welterweight rather than their usual 155-pound weight.
For Chandler, the former three-time Bellator Lightweight kingpin last fought in a memorable war with the aforementioned Poirier at UFC 281 in Nov. 2022. “Iron” lost the bout via a third-round rear-naked choke submission (watch highlights).