With a 22-6 professional MMA record and a great ability to entertain the fans, Conor McGregor is undoubtedly one of the greatest UFC athletes. However, in recent times McGregor hasn’t had a good run in his career.
The former dual-weight champion since 2018 has only won one fight out of his four. He also suffered a career-ending leg injury in his last bout in 2021. Ever since then, ‘The Notorious’ has been inactive. However, he has fully recovered now.
The Irish superstar has a huge following in the MMA community. Thus, his fans are early waiting to see him in action again. Since recovering ‘The Notorious’ has returned to training and hence many of his followers are wondering when will the UFC superstar return.
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Will Conor McGregor return in 2023?
In 2022 ‘The Notorious’ was back to his full-fledged MMA training. Interestingly, as seen in the videos last year, the former lightweight champion was even honing his wrestling skills. This has only added to the excitement of his fans.
Although last year McGregor hinted at a UFC return multiple times, he didn’t give out the exact timeline or an opponent for his comeback. Also, it is worth noting that, the Irishman is out of the USADA testing pool, and for an athlete to compete they must be in the testing pool for at least six months.
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Interestingly, ‘The Notorious’ previously hinted that he will enter the USADA testing pool in February of 2023. So if he comes clean, McGregor will be eligible to compete and we can expect a his return somewhere in the fourth quarter of the year.
Potential opponents for ‘The Notorious’
As aforementioned McGregor has hinted at his UFC return several times. He has also given out names that he would like to fight on his return. Among them was former champion Charles Oliveira and rival Dustin Poirier.
He also once expressed his interest to fight the former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman to become the first fighter to win belts in three divisions. McGregor also talked about his trilogy with former UFC fighter Nate Diaz.
However, by far the most viable opponent for McGregor’s return would be the former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler. Chandler is interested in fighting the Irishman and also called him out in what is said to be one of the best post-fight interviews.
‘Iron’ is an explosive lightweight fighter. Win or lose, the former Bellator athlete has always entertained his fans inside the cage. Thus, he can be a good match for the Irish superstar on his return.
Who do you guys think McGregor should fight if he returns in 2023?
