Conor McGregor was in attendance for the Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou boxing match in Saudi Arabia over the weekend and spoke to the media about his UFC return.
“They’re saying April now. I’m happy with April,” said McGregor. “To be honest and to be realistic, for my fans, I want to put in a good run, you know, build myself back up.”
McGregor last fought at UFC 264 in July 2021 in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier. McGregor suffered a broken leg in the final seconds of the opening round and has been recovering since.
“I’ve been kept from my living for almost three years now. Understand that. I came though what I came through. I’m sitting on an injury and a loss,” said McGregor. “I must return to my way of living. This is my job. It’s beyond frustrating… I just want my date. My date please, and that’s it.”
Related: Tyson Fury believes ‘ring rust’ played a role in Francis Ngannou fight
“If this were boxing. If I was a boxer, yes, after my injury and height I reached from belts to pay-per-view numbers, they would put me back in against this guy that’s never boxed before. That’s what they would do in boxing, build me back up. But no, you get thrown to the sharks, to the lion’s den in MMA. That’s the way it is, which is fine, but I just want to get back and and get active. I want to be the best me before I call it a day. For that to happen, for any fighter to be the best they can be, they need consistent competition. So I’m eager for that.”
McGregor’s opponent is rumored to be fifth-ranked Michael Chandler. The two coached the last season of The Ultimate Fighter.
“It’s whoever they want. I’ll never say no. I just want a date. I’ll never say no to no one, so Chandler is what it seems to be. It does not matter to me as long as I get back in there,” McGregor said.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/conor-mcgregor-likely-return-in-april-ive-been-kept-from-my-living-for-3-years-now
