One of the biggest questions when 2023 began was whether or not Conor McGregor will make his return to action after suffering a broken leg in his most recent fight.
While there are hurdles that have to be cleared, including six months of drug testing under the UFC’s anti-doping policy, McGregor’s longtime head coach John Kavanagh fully expects the Irish superstar to compete again before the year is over.
“I would be willing to put my money on it,” Kavanagh stated on The MMA Hour . I was just talking with him yesterday, or the day prior and then [his manager] Audie [Attar] came to town.
“Yeah, I think there’s some interesting negotiations going along now. I absolutely can’t say anything beyond that, but I’m very, very confident that we’ll see Conor back in the octagon this year.”
McGregor has endured a very tumultuous few years since stepping away from mixed martial arts to focus on a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather back in 2017.
In that time, the now 34-year-old ex-UFC champion has gone just 1-3 in his past four fights and taken multiple year-long absences from the cage. His past two losses came against Dustin Poirier, with the second fight ending after McGregor snapped his leg late in the opening round, which not only ended his night but forced him to undergo surgery and endure another long layoff to recover.
Of course, McGregor remains the biggest draw in the sport, which means his return will garner a lot of attention no matter who he ends up fighting.
Numerous potential opponents have volunteered to welcome McGregor back to the octagon when he’s ready to compete again, but Kavanagh insists that there’s one major requirement where he’s concerned with the next fight.
” I get asked that question a lot and have to admit I don’t mind when I tell you I’m not bothered.” Kavanagh said. “What matters to me is that, let’s say I’m seeing Conor this week and we’re chatting and he says a few names and I see a name particularly gets the eyes open, particularly gets his pacing up and down the living room and showing me what he’s going to do and what he’s not going to do. That would be absolutely the most important thing for me, is that it’s a name that’s going to excite him.
“Conor needs to be motivated to train for his next fight. It could be a couple million more. A couple million more? Is that really going to motivate him? It doesn’t seem so. He has a couple championship belts. Is that it? I don’t think so. It’s going to come down to a specific opponent and a certain skill set, as well as how that matches up with him .”
When narrowing down specific possibilities, Kavanagh says in his mind there are certainly opponents that would make the most sense for McGregor’s return.
He may not have a preferred fighter, but McGregor will most likely show his attitude toward any fight when it comes to signing a contract.
” You’ve got Nate Diaz, which is evident,” Kavanagh stated. He said that Justin Gaethje, a person he’s never fought before, would make a great matchup. The [Dustin] Poirier fight, we’ve done that so many times at this stage and it’s just a weird one. Michael Chandler is a fantastic fighter and a great athlete. All of them are brilliant. Each one will bring something unique to the competition.
“What I would be looking for would be the one name that gets Conor moving. This name gets Conor off the ground, motivates him and keeps him interested. Some of the names I’ve heard him mention it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I’d fight him,’ but if I see that level of lack of interest, I’d be nervous that won’t get him through 12 weeks of being in a very tough environment where if it’s a name that is exciting then training is fun and training is easy.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/23/23568273/john-kavanagh-very-very-confident-conor-mcgregor-fights-in-2023-reveals-what-he-wants-most-opponent?rand=96749
