Conor McGregor has taken a huge step towards a UFC comeback by kicking with his injured left leg in training.
The Irishman snapped his tibia in the opening round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last summer and has since been limited to boxing training while his recovery timeline has been repeatedly pushed back. A target date of April to return to full sparring has slipped considerably, prompting fears the former two-weight world champion would not return this year.
But McGregor has now posted a short video of himself kicking a bag in the gym, seemingly at full pelt, with his hitherto broken leg. In typical understated fashion, he captioned the video: "Something like a phenomenon!" while he remarks in the footage, "They were nice, [it felt] good".
Should the Dubliner not return before 2023, he will have gone three years without victory in the cage. He last had his hand raised after a 40-second demolition of Donald Cerrone in 2020 before he was twice defeated by Poirier last year.
McGregor is plotting a return at welterweight and has demanded an immediate title shot against champion Kamaru Usman. The Nigerian must first defend his belt in a rematch with Birmingham's Leon Edwards in San Jose on August 20.
That timeline could fit in with McGregor's return to the cage, but it remains to be seen whether UFC president Dana White is willing to fast-track the 33-year-old to the front of the queue ahead of other more-deserving title challengers.
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Other possible opponents for McGregor include Michael Chandler who called out his lightweight rival following his demolition of Tony Ferguson last month. Chandler expressed his willingness to face McGregor at 170lb, a proposal met with more enthusiasm than that of former 155lb champion Charles Oliveira who has also set his sights on McGregor.
The Brazilian was stripped of his belt after failing to make weight for his title defence against Justin Gaethje. Oliveira submitted his challenger in the second round to ensure the title remains vacant with the former champion guaranteed a shot at the belt in his next fight.
