Conor McGregor has been urged by fans to revert to his old stance when he makes his UFC return later this year.
Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor, 34, has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, since undergoing a lengthy period of rehabilitation to prepare for his comeback fight. Having been limited to upper body training for the good part of a year, McGregor has bulked up during his layoff and is expected to compete at 170lb in his return.
For his two defeats against Poirier in 2021, McGregor fought with a boxing stance and was very heavy on his lead leg. It's the polar opposite to his old karate stance that led him to two world titles and with McGregor showing off his boxing in a recent training video, fans have begged him to back to his roots.
"This heavy-footed, static, marching forward boxing stance didn't work out well the last two fights and it won't be the third time either. Time to switch gyms and evolve. Don't train with guys who embed your errors," one user wrote before a second added: "Conor became the very thing he used to hate. A stiff as a board welterweight."
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"Looks stuck in the mud almost, has all the money in the world but won’t train with dogs anymore," a third added. "That boxing stance killed your greatness," a fourth user commented. The comments about his old stance were a continued theme as a fifth user put: "Bring back karate stance," with another agreeing: "Go back to the karate stance".
McGregor wasn't tested by USADA, the UFC's anti-doping agency, for the entirety of 2022 which led to some fans fearing he would retire from fighting. It's uncertain when the Irishman return can make his return as the UFC requires fighters to be drug tested for a minimum of six months before competing, but McGregor is hoping to bypass that rule and fight sooner.
A number of the UFC's biggest stars have already put their names in the hat to serve as the opponent for McGregor's return when he including Michael Chandler and 'BMF' champion Jorge Masvidal. McGregor has even hinted at a move to middleweight in the future as he wants to become one of the few UFC fighters to compete in four weight classes
Three years have passed since McGregor's last UFC win, as he knocked out Donald Cerrone in just 40-seconds in January 2020. It's expected that McGregor's current UFC deal expires in October, meaning he will be free to leave the promotion if he doesn't sign a new deal by then.
