Every time we see a photo of Conor McGregor as of late, it’s of “Notorious” sporting a beefed-up frame. While the added muscle mass is striking, the question is when will the former double champion get back to striking in the Octagon?
It has been over eight months since McGregor suffered a fractured leg in a first-round TKO (doctor stoppage) loss to rival Dustin Poirier back in their July 2021 trilogy bout.
UFC president Dana White has stated that he thinks McGregor’s rehab is coming along well and that the Irish superstar can possibly return this summer.
"He's doing all the right things with his leg,” White told TMZ Sports in January. “I'm hoping he can come back this summer."
McGregor seemingly agrees, telling his YouTube channel TheMacLife recently that his return could come “late summer.” And that brings us to our next question.
What weight will McGregor fight at?
As swollen as McGregor has gotten, as evidenced in recent photos and footage, he just might have outgrown being a lightweight permanently.
So, what weight will McGregor scrap at in his return fight? McGregor pondered it during a recent sitdown interview with TheMacLife.
“It’s about finding out which weight now,” McGregor said during the interview posted on YouTube on March 18. “I just don’t really see myself coming back to 155 (pounds) again. I’m eating, I’m lifting, I’m training and I’m not cutting calories, so this is my natural state. I can go even bigger.”
He added: “I don’t want to go too much over 170. I’ve always had a great time when I had a full camp at 170 with correct preparation.”
That response would have McGregor pointing to welterweight, where he’s generated solid results. McGregor’s majority decision victory over Nate Diaz in their August 2016 rematch was a welterweight tilt, as was his 40-second drubbing of Donald Cerrone in January 2020.
Who will McGregor fight next?
McGregor made it clear that the next fight that he wants is against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
"Myself versus Usman for the 170-pound title in my comeback fight is the one I'm eyeballing at the minute," McGregor told The MacLife during that same interview last week. "Why cut the weight? I've already won the 155-pound title. I got myself to a lightweight frame, but you know, I'm big now. I feel big. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I've got good energy. I'm coming back from a gruesome injury. I don't want to be depleting myself. There should be no need to deplete myself.
"And I feel confident against Usman — a jab-happy, sloppy, orthodox wrestler with no submissions whatsoever. What's he going to do? Where's the danger here? I don't see danger. No one has ever obtained three titles in three divisions like I will do if we make this fight."
Usman’s reaction to that was swift.
White then spoke with The MacLife and called a potential Usman-McGregor fight “interesting,” adding that he and “Notorious” will be “meeting soon.”
Though the UFC has repeatedly touted Leon Edwards as Usman’s next opponent, the money to be made on Usman-McGregor could foreseeably alter that plan.
The caveat to that is McGregor has lost three of his last four fights, while a surging Usman is undefeated in the UFC.
- There’s always Jorge Masvidal at welterweight as well. He and McGregor have exchanged words before. “Gamebred” has lost three straight fights.
- Although McGregor insists that he’s comfortable at his larger size, UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has expressed interest in a big-money fight against the Irish sensation. Oliveira is slated to defend his title against Justin Gaethje on May 7 at UFC 274. Perhaps McGregor could face the winner of that fight in late summer.
- Then, there’s always Poirier, too. “The Diamond” had his three-fight win streak snapped in a third-round submission (rear-naked choke) loss to Oliveira in December. A fourth and final chapter between he and McGregor makes sense, especially given all the lingering bad blood between the two.
- Finally, a McGregor-Diaz trilogy would always entertain.
Is there any chance that McGregor boxes in his next fight?
McGregor did post footage of a boxing training session just earlier this week.
This comes days after Jake Paul laid out this intriguing gauntlet:
Does McGregor-Paul ever have a shot of happening? Let’s just say you’d be foolish to count it out with the kind of money the bout can generate.
All in all, McGregor has plenty of options. Let’s see which route he chooses.