Conor McGregor is currently holding negotiations with the UFC to make his return official this year.
McGregor has been out of action since July 2021 having broken his leg in a second consecutive loss to Dustin Poirier. The Irishman has been taking part in a lengthy period of rehabilitation and is now back in training, with a potential return on the horizon as he eyes redemption.
The Irishman has just one win to his name since 2018 when he ousted Donald Cerrone in 2020 at 170lb, which is the division that he is expected to return in following his significant increase in weight. And the UFC superstar's coach John Kavanagh has listed Nate Diaz, Michael Chandler ad Justin Gaethje as potential opponents for his comeback outing.
“Yeah, I think there’s some interesting negotiations going along now," Kavanagh said on the MMA Hour when providing an update on McGregor's planned return. "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. You’ve got the great Nate Diaz is obviously in there.
"Justin Gaethje would be a very interesting matchup, somebody he hasn’t fought before. The [Dustin] Poirier fight, we’ve done that so many times at this stage and it’s just a weird one. Michael Chandler, a great fighter, a great athlete. They’re all brilliant. They’re all going to bring something different to the contest. What I would be looking for would be the one name that gets Conor moving.
"Gets him off his stool, gets him moving around and gets him excited. Some of the names I’ve heard him mention it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I’d fight him,’ but if I see that level of lack of interest, I’d be nervous that won’t get him through twelve weeks of being in a very tough environment where if it’s a name that is exciting then training is fun and training is easy.”
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A clear frontrunner is yet to emerge for McGregor's comeback clash, but Chandler appears to be the most consistent in his fight call-outs given his openness to a switch to 170lb. The Irishman will first need to sort out his potential delay from returning, with his absence from the drug testing pool currently making his return unlikely until the summer, providing he has completed his minimum six-month enrolment.
However the Irishman is confident he can exploit a loophole in the system and provide exemption which could see him in a position to sign on the dotted line for a return fight next month. Several alternative big fights could crop up for McGregor including against Jorge Masvidal, but it is likely he will first accept a more acceptable tune-up exploit before pursuing a route to a title in a third division.
