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There is no clarity about when Conor McGregor will be back in action. The former two-division champion has been out of the octagon since his UFC 264 clash against Dustin Poirier in 2021, where he snapped his leg in half.

But, despite the Irishman seemingly wanting to fight, as evidenced by his outburst last year when the Chandler fight was postponed from December ’23 and his announcement in December last year that he will fight Michael Chandler this June, the UFC seems to be holding back. And since ‘Mystic Mac’ is the biggest superstar in the history of the sport, this reluctance has puzzled many. However, bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has a theory to explain this.

‘Suga’ speculates what is holding up Conor McGregor’s comeback

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Sean O’Malley, gearing up to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera on UFC 299 on Saturday, joined the Nelk Boys on their podcast to promote the fight. During the course of the podcast, Kyle Forgeard wondered if “Conor’s even going to come back?”

‘Suga’ said that there were indications that McGregor “seems like he wants to” fight. Forgeard felt that the reason behind the delay was probably because Conor McGregor was asking for a huge payday, which the UFC was unwilling to pay. He wondered if McGregor was getting big offers to once again cross over into boxing, and was waiting for the UFC to match those offers.

“He probably just wants a massive bag or do what like Ngannou did or something. Like I wonder he’s probably getting offers- boxing fights that are like, huge,” he said.

O’Malley speculated that it’s “probably contract stuff” and the UFC wanted him to only offer him a fight if he agrees to re-sign with the promotion after his current contract (which does not have many fights left on it) expires. 

“Where it’s just like, he’s only got a couple more fights on his contract. UFC wants to make sure he’s going to fight more, that he’s going to re-sign and maybe he’s not going to re-sign so they don’t really want to risk losing him because of the brand,” he said. While the exact reason behind McGregor’s inactivity remains unknown, the fears that the Irishman will not return to the octagon are growing, especially since this month will mark a huge milestone for McGregor.

‘Mac’ to play villain in 2024 remake of ‘Road House’

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Conor McGregor’s debut Hollywood project, a remake of the 1989 classic ‘Road House’ is set for release on March 21. Starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the Doug Liman-directed project, the ‘Notorious’ will play the antagonist named ‘Knox’ who stole the show in the trailers with his bombastic and violent performance.

Read More: Sean O’Malley Confesses Bizarre Umar Nurmagomedov Interaction – “We’re Gonna Fight Someday”

With the release of the film around the corner and the fact that McGregor is the wealthiest mixed martial artist in the history of the sport, an increasing number of fans, like Forgeard, fear the Irishman may never fight again and may look for greener pastures like Hollywood if his performance is received well.

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However, the Irishman has put fans at ease with his latest question-and-answer session. Mac posted the text of some of the questions and his answers on his Instagram Story. On being asked if a trilogy with Nate Diaz was on the horizon, McGregor said that he wanted to fight Diaz in September this year at the iconic sphere in Las Vegas after facing Chandler at UFC 303 in July.

Read More: What Does Dustin Poirier’s Good Fight Foundation Do? Conor McGregor Controversy, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Donation, and More