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Conor McGregor's potential return to the UFC octagon is undoubtedly the main concern of the new year after the calendar recently changed to 2023. Well according to John Kavanagh, Conor McGregor's longstanding trainer, battling at least once during the year is almost entirely inevitable.
Being one of the wealthiest athletes and someone who seems satisfied in his present semi-retirement, several people in the MMA industry are uncertain that McGregor would resume his career.
Kavanagh, who assisted 'Notorious' in becoming the first UFC two-division champion, is so confident that his top student will compete this year that he is willing to gamble his most precious property.
“I’d be willing to bet my house on it. I was actually just chatting with him yesterday or the day before and then [his manager] Audie [Attar] was in town.
“Yeah, I think there’s some interesting negotiations going along now. I absolutely can’t say anything beyond that, but I’m very, very confident that we’ll see Conor back in the octagon this year.”
It is uncertain which weight category McGregor participates in when he returns considering his newly discovered muscular body at 190 lbs. Although Kavanagh believes that McGregor will return, he is still worried more about challengers and wondering if they will be capable to excite the legendary fighter. Although several opponents have offered to welcome McGregor back to the octagon in their post-fight interviews.
“I’m asked this so often and I have to be honest when I say I really don’t mind,” Kavanagh explained. “What matters to me is that, let’s say I’m seeing Conor this week and we’re chatting and he says a few names and I see a name particularly gets the eyes open, particularly gets his pacing up and down the living room and showing me what he’s going to do and what he’s not going to do. That would be absolutely the most important thing for me, is that it’s a name that’s going to excite him.’’
Since losing to Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight at UFC 264 in July 2021 via injury TKO after fracturing his leg on a kick, McGregor hasn't participated for 18 months. McGregor was stopped by Poirier at UFC 257 just six months ago. Since October 2018, he got dropped in three of his last four MMA matches. Later last year, he was removed from the official UFC lightweight standings.
He also left the USADA testing pool, and to be able to fight once more, he must rejoin for six months. He aspires to be the only athlete in UFC history to capture the titles in three distinct weight categories and create the epic sporting return of all time by conquering the welterweight division.
McGregor will have a slew of alternatives of high-profile opponents, whether he fights at lightweight or welterweight, as numerous fighters have called him out, including Michael Chandler, Jorge Masvidal, and Charles Oliveira.