Conor McGregor's comeback looks set to be pushed into 2023 after the UFC legend's recovery from injury hit a snag.
The former two-weight world champion has been keeping fans in the loop with training footage as he continues his return to full fitness after breaking his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier last summer. But all is not as it seems, and after a quick return to walking and light movement, progress has slowed significantly.
At one stage, there were brief hopes within the UFC that the Irishman could make a return as early as late summer or early autumn, but those hopes have been dashed as the Irishman has struggled to round the next corner in his recovery from injury.
McGregor initially healed well, if even particularly quickly, and had surpassed Chris Weidman, who suffered an almost identical injury three months prior. Spotted at a Bellator event in February, he was seen walking around unassisted and happily greeting fans, even helping to carry pal Sinead Kavanagh backstage after her win over Leah McCourt.
At that time, he told Mirror Fighting his comeback would be "soon", and promised the injury was "getting there". But he also confirmed what his trainer John Kavanagh had told us two months prior, which had been that the plan was to be back sparring by April.
McGregor did, to his credit, have a sparring session in April, taking on pal Cian Cowley in a set of boxing rounds at the Crumlin Boxing Club. Cowley said of the spar : "He was in with me, we just had a few rounds, Conor's always training like that. People go on like 'he's back', he never left and he's always training.
"Just because you don't see it on the internet doesn't mean he's not training - it didn't shock me at all, it's Conor McGregor, like. Everyone knows, real fighters know a real fighter when they see one so it doesn't shock me, it doesn't surprise me. The fella is an animal and it's an honour to train with him."
But despite what Cowley said, sources close to the Crumlin Boxing Club have told Mirror Fighting that McGregor was still showing serious signs of wear on the injury, and struggled in the session. The spar took place on a Wednesday, April 13, and McGregor was tentatively planning to compete in an exhibition bout two days later at the return of the club's annual Good Friday Show.
McGregor didn't appear on the show's programme, but had told trainer Phil Sutcliffe that he may make an appearance, as he did in 2019 when he faced Michael McGrane. Cowley did compete while McGregor's pal Lee Hammond was also touted to appear but was unable to due to an injury.
And on the night, despite Sutcliffe having been told he would attend, McGregor was a no-show. Sources indicate he hasn't sparred since, and now entering June, he still hasn't been back to even lightly drill with head trainer Kavanagh in SBG Ireland HQ, or his more local SBG Naas which is owned by friend and Bellator star Peter Queally.
Back in December while speaking at a fundraiser for injured MMA fighter Ian Coughlan, Kavanagh explained to Mirror Fighting that plans for a reunion at McGregor's pub The Black Forge Inn had been scuppered by newly-imposed coronavirus rules. But they were reunited two months later in a newly reopened 3Arena for the Bellator show.
However, Kavanagh was cornering eight fighters that night from the first bout to the co-main event, and likely didn't spend much time discussing McGregor's comeback with him. They also reunited recently in France where the fighter was on holiday while Kavanagh was cornering Pedro Carvalho in a Bellator show.
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Renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani revealed on The MMA Hour this week that McGregor's comeback is now targeted for February or March of next year. He was speaking about Nate Diaz's next move, and why he shouldn't be waiting for the Irishman during a segment of his show.
“Last I heard, by the way, Conor could come back February, March or so," Helwani told fans in a blow to the hopes that he could compete again this year. "It doesn’t look like he’s coming back in 2022. So now, here you have a guy who hasn’t fought since July of last year."
He later added: "There’s no guarantee that he’s coming back tomorrow, next month, the month after that, and the last I heard was early 2023. There’s no rush here, as there shouldn’t be a rush because he’s coming back from such a gruesome and serious injury.”
In addition, UFC president Dana White has is now entertaining the notion of a match-up between McGregor and Michael Chandler. The pair are ranked No.5 and No.8 in the lightweight division, but the Irishman has told Mirror Fighting he wants to return at welterweight, to which Chandler agreed weeks later.
"I really like Chandler vs. Conor after Chandler's last fight," White told TMZ. "There's plenty of fights to make. I don't know if that's the one. We'll see what the landscape looks like when Conor gets back."
Asked for a timeline on his return, White added: "I think he's getting better. He's starting to ramp up his training, and I'm hoping the end of this year, early next year."
