Among the many “what-ifs” and “will it, won’t it” questions in the UFC, one stand out: Will Conor McGregor ever return to the Octagon? The question has been done and dusted several times now. But we’ll keep asking the question, since it’s ‘The Notorious’ Irishman. As we all know, the former dual-weight champion has now been out of action for over three years, and apart from the occasional training clip or a random callout, there’s been little substance to suggest a real comeback. Once known for being a mystic in the sport, McGregor now appears more like a shadow of his former self—partying often, embracing the very lifestyle he once called “weakness for the soul.”

Yet, amid the doubt, a flicker of hope remains. In his latest escapade, another video surfaced of the Irishman enjoying life—but this time, teasing fans with a hint of a UFC return. Taking to his Instagam handle, the former dual weight champion uploaded a video of him sprinting with a caption that read, “GET JACKED WITH THE MAC.”

If you’ve been an ardent follower of Conor McGregor, you would’ve noticed that the fighter has been consistently dropping training videos on his social media, after staying immensely busy with his BKFC duties as a promoter. Just last month, Conor McGregor uploaded training footage on his social media handle, and guess what, he tagged the big guns of the UFC, including Dana White, asking the UFC and the TKO Group to facilitate his return.

Interestingly, McGregor hinted at retirement in one of his conversations as well. While having a BKFC presser, McGregor stated, “I’ve got two fights on the contract, I’m in negotiations. Last week, something happened to me. I went to the White House, and my heart bleeds for my country right now.”

He further added, “So there’s a lot of stuff going on back home, I’m happy with what I’ve done. There’s something else for me that’s in my gut right now and that’s kind of where I’m going.” With one foot still in the MMA world, Conor McGregor is now looking to make an impact in politics as well. But will his gamble pay off? That question remains unanswered. However, his recent training footage has already stirred up quite a buzz in the community.

Merab Dvalishvili and Dee Devlin join fans in reacting to Conor McGregor’s recent training footage

To kick things off, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili dropped a single fire emoji in the comments. It’s quite amusing to see ‘The Machine’ react to the post, especially considering the recent online clash between Team Merab and Team McGregor, which was sparked by a banter exchange between Aljamain Sterling and Dillon Danis.

Moreover, Dee Devlin also reacted to her partner’s post by commenting with a heart-eyes emoji. Furthermore, one user asked the fighter to cut weight, considering the fact that he looks way bigger than he’s actually supposed to be for his ‘natural’ weight class, “Nah bro you need to cut.”

The ghosts of his UFC 229 and UFC 196 losses still seem to haunt Conor McGregor and may continue to do so until his final days. A fan recently reminded the former champion of his devastating defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov (and Nate Diaz), commenting,“Mc tapper”

Furthermore, despite canceling his UFC 303 comeback against Michael Chandler last year, a fan still remains optimistic about Conor McGregor’s return, as he wrote.“McGregor takeover part 2?” Last but not least, one user took aim at the fact that McGregor hasn’t really made a broad impact in the last half-decade—meaning that he hasn’t won a fight since 2020, “After 5 years he wants to start trsining again.” Whether he’s training for a fight or not, the Irishman definitely stays in shape, as posted through updates on his Instagram.

But what do you think? Do you think that the return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor imminent? As the (literally) years go by, the possibility of a successful return against a top opponent remains elusive—a pipe dream. But that doesn’t mean we, as fans, can’t stop dreaming right?