Conor McGregor returned to sparring for the first time in 278 days at the Crumlin Boxing Gym in Dublin yesterday as his UFC comeback edges closer.
Former two-weight world champion McGregor has been back on his feet and hitting pads for weeks after suffering a broken leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier last summer. And yesterday he returned to boxing sparring as he ramps up preparation for his return to the octagon.
The Irishman took to the ring at his old boxing gym for his first sparring session since the injury, with a handful of gym members and coaches watching on. He took to Instagram to share photos of the moment, captioning them "my first spar" with a love heart emoji.
McGregor has been training consistently since the loss to Poirier, his first time losing consecutively in his MMA career. But he has been unable to step into the ring or cage with another competitor until receiving medical clearance, which has evidently happened in recent days.
It is unknown for how long the session lasted or what McGregor looked like in the exchanges. But despite reportedly tipping the scales at around 190lb, he looked in solid shape as he boxed a member of the club yesterday.
Last week, the Irishman confirmed to Mirror Fighting that he is planning on returning to the UFC at welterweight, saying he feels comfortable at 170lb. "Straight back into training," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting back into the octagon - we'll see what happens, the leg's getting better every day, I think 170 is where I'm aiming for, I feel good at this weight."
McGregor has been angling for an opportunity at the current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who is also currently out injured. But once Usman returns from his hand issues, he is expected to face Leon Edwards for the belt, meaning McGregor may have to take a fight in the interim.
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He notably didn't name Usman when asked about his thoughts on a prospective opponent for his comeback fight. But he did laugh off the suggestion that he could face fellow two-weight world champion Henry Cejudo, who has confirmed he will return to the octagon.
The pair have been engaged in a war of words on Twitter, with McGregor calling the ex-bantamweight and flyweight champion a "fat novice". Cejudo hit back, but it appears that the weight discrepancy between the pair would be too much, with the former Olympic gold medalist wrestler instead looking to face featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
McGregor could also be lined up to face Poirier in an unprecedented fourth fight after the UFC star confirmed yesterday that he believes the promotion are waiting to make that fight. In a Twitter Q&A, Poirier replied to a fan who suggested that the UFC were waiting to book a fourth bout between the pair by saying "probably so".
