CONOR MCGREGOR insists he’s “ready” to get back in the octagon following his lengthy hiatus.
The UFC’s poster boy hasn’t set foot inside the cage since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
Conor McGregor is set to return to the octagon later this yearSPORTSFILE
GettyThe Notorious will be welcomed back to the octagon by Michael Chandler[/caption]
McGregor feels primed and ‘ready’ to return to the octagonREX
McGregor, 34, will return to action later this year for a blockbuster showdown with Michael Chandler after a second stint coaching The Ultimate Fighter, a clash he’s relishing.
The Irishman told The Mirror: “[I’m] Looking forward to it, looking forward to it. I feel good, feel energetic, feel ready.”
McGregor has undergone a painstaking rehab – along with a dramatic body transformation – to get himself fighting fit after the horrific injury.
The former two-division champion was recently seen performing spinning wheel kicks at Crumlin Boxing Gym.
And he feels that his kicks are better than ever.
McGregor said: “I’m throwing out my high kicks faster than I’m throwing out my jab. I’m every excited.”
The date for McGregor’s clash with Chandler hinges on when he re-enters the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool – which he’s been out of for the last year.
The Dubliner must be enrolled in the pool for a minimum of six months and provide two negative tests before he can compete again.
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At this moment in time, it’s looking like September will be the earliest Mystic Mac can return.
A venue for the fight has yet to be decided, with UFC president Dana White recently saying: “People were asking me earlier about the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight and [wondering] where it’s going to be.
“We don’t know yet, we’re kind of working that out.
“But to go to [AT&T] Stadium, you have to have the right fight.
“Conor and Chandler are doing The Ultimate Fighter this year.
“They’re coaching it.
“And it’s the first time it’s going to be on ESPN the network — which will make the fight even bigger.
“Dallas, [AT&T] Stadium is a possibility. They’re in the running for the fight.
“When you look at a fight of that magnitude, you have to look at Madison Square Garden, obviously Vegas .
“Which we could do the stadium there, or T-Mobile Arena —[Allegiant] Stadium, or you could do a massive stadium in London.”