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Irish Mirror
Sport
David Coleman

Conor McGregor next fight: Dana White drops hint on when Dubliner could return and suggests opponent

Conor McGregor has been in the headlines again recently as he celebrated partner Dee Devlin's birthday in flamboyant fashion.

The one-time king of the UFC has been enjoying time with those closest to him as he marked his own birthday along with partner Dee Devlin's 35th.

Dee, who has been with the Dubliner for over 20 years, got his name inked on her skin and was gifted an incredible Cartier watch for the big day.

READ MORE: Dee Devlin celebrates birthday with tattoo of fiance Conor McGregor and new Cartier watch

McGregor, 34, also posted about 'having the munchies' on his triple deck yacht.

His luxury life has left many fans doubting if he will ever step into the famous UFC Octagon again.

But will Conor McGregor fight again, and what has UFC boss Dana White said about the Irishman?

If White is to be believed, we could see McGregor back in action as early as this year.

He told TMZ: "I think he's getting better. He's starting to ramp up his training, and I'm hoping the end of this year, early next year.

"I really like Mike Chandler vs Conor after Chandler's last fight. There's plenty of fights to make. I don't know if that's the one. We'll see what the landscape looks like when Conor gets back.

"I'm just saying after his last [Octagon] interview, his last fight, Conor's ranked number 8. [Michael's] ranked number 5. It makes a lot of sense right now."

UFC hero Randy Couture believes Conor McGregor has to sort out some "lifestyle issues" if he is to get back to winning ways.

The Irishman has been out of action for over a year with a broken leg suffered in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 last summer. And during that time he has spent a lot of time on holiday, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and committing to extra-curricular activities outside of the octagon.

And Couture, who is still actively involved in the sport as an ambassador for the Professional Fighters' League (PFL), believes his fellow former two-weight world champion needs to fix his issues outside of the cage before returning to success inside of it.

McGregor has recently signed on for his first major movie role in the remake of Roadhouse with Jake Gyllenhal, and frequently posts about smoking "big blunts" on his plush yacht. He is also said to be in talks for a second boxing outing against Floyd Mayweather, having gone 10 rounds with the 50-0 legend in their 2017 crossover fight.

But Couture feels that he would struggle even more in a rematch. Speaking with Mirror Fighting at an event where PFL spoke with members of the Dynamite Youth Centre in New York, he said: "I think Conor has some lifestyle issues that he's sorting through.

"I'm not a fan of the extra-curricular activities or the publicity stunts and that kind of c***, I think it distracts from our sport."

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