Conor McGregor Set to Return at Welterweight Against Justin Gaethje in Early 2023, According to Rumors

Conor McGregor, the former two-weight champion, has been out of action for over a year now and fans are eagerly waiting to see him return inside the UFC cage. Interestingly, the wait might just be over soon, according to some reports.

‘The Notorious’ is currently witnessing a rough period in his fighting career. He is on a two-fight skid. And worse than that, he suffered a gruesome injury in his blockbuster trilogy bout with rival Dustin Poirier in 2021.

The injury has kept him out of action put for a long time. However, just a few months ago, the Irish UFC star completely recovered from that injury. He is even back to training and looks better than ever.

Per MMA pack Conor McGregor will comeback at welterweight early next year against Justin Gaethje pic.twitter.com/sW1Yzgduwx

— Benny P 🇦🇺 (@Bendaman2001) October 8, 2022

Ever since McGregor’s training videos went viral, fans and UFC pundits have been speculating about an opponent for his return. Amidst that, an MMA news page recently reported that the number three ranked UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje might be his next opponent.

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However, according to the Instagram page MMA pack, Gaethje vs. McGregor will not happen in the lightweight category. Instead, they will compete in a welterweight bout.

Conor McGregor in the welterweight division

McGregor, since his recovery, has gained a lot of muscle mass. He eventually looks bigger than regular lightweights. Therefore, it is a possibility that he might return at the 170lbs.

Earlier, ‘The Notorious’ also stated that he wants to become the first-ever fighter to hold a title at three divisions. Thus, this adds weight to his welterweight return possibility.

Also, in a recent interview, ‘The Highlight’ stated he was open to fighting the Irish star. However, he had one condition ‘The Notorious’ get tested by USADA before the fight.

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All these factors are adding more weight to the rumor. If this fight actually comes to fruition, McGregor will have an upper hand. Because the former dual champion has had a good record in the welterweight division (2-1) than in the lightweight (1-3) of UFC.

What are your thoughts about this fight? Do you guys think it will come to fruition?