No one knows when Conor McGregor will be back in the octagon, or even if he will be back in the octagon. ‘Notorious’ has not fought in nearly three years and is coming off a devastating broken leg he suffered in his last outing against Dustin Poirier back in 2021. The former two-division champion was slated to fight rival ‘TUF 31’ coach Michael Chandler late last year after their contentious and, at times, violent stint on the reality show.

However, the bout was called off due to unknown reasons and has been in limbo since, with Chandler having essentially put his career on hold for the past two years waiting for McGregor. And there is still no clarity around the timeline for ‘Mac’s return, except for hints by UFC CEO Dana White that the Irishman may fight in the fall. In a media blitz ahead of the release of his Hollywood debut film, ‘Road House’ on March 21, Conor McGregor addressed the status of his contract and made surprising revelations about his future with the UFC.

Conor McGregor wants to fight twice this year

In an interview with Adam Catterall for ‘talkSPORT MMA’, Conor McGregor revealed that he still had two fights left on his contract, and after he was done with the promotion of his film, he planned to dedicate himself to training for his comeback, which he hoped would be a late 2024 booking.

“I’ve got this workload on me right now because I’ve got the promotion of the movie, I’ve got St Patrick’s festivities with the alcohol. After that it’s a closed door, so I get to go in and close the door and map my plan. And then gym-home-gym-home and I hope we get some clarity with a date and I can push towards it. I’m sure we will get something in by year-end that’s what I’m hoping,” he said.

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Catterall asked the Dubliner if there was still a possibility of him fighting on International Fight Week this June, as he had indicated earlier (McGregor had announced on New Year’s Eve that he would fight Chandler on June 29 at UFC 303, but this was quickly shot down by Dana White).

And McGregor was totally on-board for a June outing, after which McGregor wanted to fight again at the iconic Sphere in Las Vegas. “Yeah, for sure, I would like that I would love that if they give me that and then we can go ahead and straight away, you know… That would be great for me June 29th, and then the sphere,” he said.

The Irishman seems to be in a hurry to fight out his contract, and some would say he even indicated he may not sign with the promotion after the end of his current contract, and concluded with a cryptic statement, saying, “Then what happens, I don’t know.” This seems to lend credence to a theory about why the UFC is dragging its feet over the Irishman.

UFC seemingly delaying the return of the ‘Mac’ over contract

There have been various theories around what is holding up Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon, despite his apparent willingness, indeed eagerness, to do so. The UFC, however, does not seem as enthusiastic, and this reluctance is most likely behind the delay and uncertainty between McGregor and his comeback.

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UFC commentator Chael Sonnen speculated in a recent video on his YouTube channel that ‘Notorious’ was unwilling to play ball and assure the UFC that he will extend his contract after his current contract is up. He felt that this reluctance had made Dana White and co. hold up McGregor’s return since they did not want to build up and invest valuable marketing dollars in the Irishman if he would be leaving the promotion after two fights.

And McGregor’s comments in the interview do seem to confirm the first part of this theory, with the former champion publicly expressing uncertainty if he would re-sign with the UFC. And it seems Dana White is content to let the Irishman sit out and not book him in order to put pressure on him to extend his contract. It seems that when Conor McGregor comes back, it will come down to who blinks first.

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