Conor McGregor has confirmed he is hopeful of making his long-awaited UFC return in April - in a move that could see the Irishman headline UFC 300 next year.
McGregor has not fought since suffering a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, but his return to the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (Usada) testing pool on 8 October is a significant sign that the 35-year-old is nearing his comeback fight.
It was announced in February that McGregor would fight Michael Chandler in 2023, but McGregor remained absent from the Usada pool for months; in order to compete in the UFC, athletes must have been in the pool for six months while returning zero positive test results and at least two negatives. The UFC and McGregor hinted that he might be granted an exemption, something that Usada spoke out against in early October.
McGregor is still expected to face Chandler, with the 37-year-old American having held out for the icon’s return despite its ongoing delay, and the former dual-weight UFC champion dropped his biggest hint yet that April could stage his return
"Hopefully April, they’re saying April," McGregor told TNT Sports in Saudi Arabia ahead of the crossover bout between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.
"I’m happy. I would’ve loved December, I would’ve loved it earlier, I would’ve dialed in earlier, but I want to be honest - not just to myself but to my fans and whatnot,” McGregor said.
"April’s a lovely run-up for me. I would be happy with that."
Conor McGregor was ringside for Fury vs Ngannou— (Getty Images)
During his absence from competition and since his fight with Poirier was announced, McGregor has talked up potential bouts with Justin Gaethje and old rival Nate Diaz, though the latter is no longer signed to the UFC. Furthermore, UFC president Dana White has insisted that Gaethje will not be next for McGregor.
There is less certainty around the weight at which McGregor will return, however. After winning the featherweight title in 2015, McGregor collected the lightweight belt in 2016 to become the UFC’s first ever dual-weight champion, but he has also competed at welterweight three times, trading wins with Diaz in 2016 and stopping Donald Cerrone in 2020. While there is no expectation for McGregor to fight at featherweight again, and although Chandler typically fights at lightweight, McGregor has hinted that he could return at middleweight – having bulked up significantly while recovering from his broken leg.
McGregor suffered that injury in his second straight defeat by Poirier, who knocked out the Irishman in January 2021. The pair, who contested those bouts at lightweight, previously clashed at featherweight in 2014, with McGregor knocking out the American.
