Conor McGregor is not considering retirement from the UFC - and is instead planning to have another 100 fights.
The Irishman has been out of action since breaking his leg in defeat by Dustin Poirier in July 2021, but he will now have the opportunity to make a comeback as he is set to do battle with Michael Chandler. McGregor's return to the octagon comes as part of the UFC's latest series of The Ultimate Fighter, with his objective to breathe new life into his career after a torrid run of form.
Many questioned if McGregor would return to the cage after a lengthy delay following his broken leg injury which had seen him lose three out of his last four fights. The 34-year-old has already won titles at both featherweight and lightweight, which will see him go down in history irrespective of his future achievements.
However despite the severity of his setback, McGregor is in full training again for his return outing and feels he is better than ever after time away from the sport. “What do I hope for in this world? I hope for 100 fights. I hope for 100 more fights,” McGregor told Barstool Sports when assessing his plans for the future. “I’m working for consistency.
"I’ve been having this on, off, on, off nonsense for too long, via fight politics, via injuries, via just life. It does happen. It’s God’s plan. It’s all God, so I accept and understand it. But I’m excited and hopeful that I can get a nice consecutive run of bouts. I’ve got a lot of exciting fights. I’ve got some rivalries.
"You’ve got guys on the climb, you’ve got guys in other divisions that are supposed to be the best. There’s loads of bouts I could have and I’m excited for every single one of them. It’ll be my job on fight night to show the levels and show there’s a much higher difference in skill level here. It’s a nice bout for me.”
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McGregor has suffered mixed fortunes since his boxing fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but will be hoping to fare much better at 170lb where he is expected to return after piling on the pounds. Despite his recent run, it is anticipated that 'The Notorious' would be able to force through a title shot if he picks up a win against Chandler.
And he has since suggested that this will be on his mind this weekend when champion Leon Edwards defends his title against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286. "I'd like a welterweight title shot," McGregor said during an appearance on the MMA Hour. "So I would like that. I am definitely ready for 170lb.
"I'd like to see myself in there again and see what happens with that division. I'd like to get in and see what's going on in there. I may be present for the card [Edwards v Usman 3], it would be good to watch that welterweight title for sure.”
