It's been three years since Conor McGregor's last fight, against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, and there's no word yet on whether he'll be available to fight again.
Of course, the Irish superstar was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June, but pulled out after revealing he broke a toe during sparring. McGregor later said that after suffering a nasty leg fracture in his bout with Poirier, he refused to risk performing less than 100 percent in his first fight back, unlike previous times he'd fought through a similar injury.
With the clock ticking, McGregor's continued absence has led to growing scepticism as to whether he will actually fight again, although former PFL champion Brendan Loughnane, who trained with McGregor for a few weeks last year, is adamant the Irish superstar will return at some point.
“Of course he wants to fight,” Loughnane told The MMA Hour. “Money doesn't matter to Conor. Conor is a total fighter. Conor just wants to fight. I've been in the training room with him. We trained every day for four to six weeks. We fought each other. This guy is hungry to fight.”
“He doesn't have to do this right now. He's approaching billionaire status. He's doing this for the love of the sport. He loves the sport through and through. He's a fighter. He wakes up every day. This lights a fire in him and in people like me.”
McGregor pulled out of the June bout with a broken pinky toe and has faced plenty of criticism for pulling out rather than fighting through the injury.
Loughnane couldn't agree more, especially considering McGregor has a long history with the UFC, where he has often shown up to fights battered, bruised or with injuries that would have easily taken him off the card.
Actually taking a step back and realising he shouldn't settle for fighting after three years away from the sport shows McGregor is approaching his return the right way.
“The fact that he withdrew injured shows he's in good form,” Loughnane explained. “Going into a match injured is something he's done before and he's done it many times, we all know that. Do it when you're healthy. There's a lot at stake right now. Do it when you're healthy. Wait until it's fixed.”
“It's well known he's done it many times with serious injuries – even his knees and feet – he's been there. I'm pleased he's been able to do it and show the maturity and I can't wait for him to return.”
Loughnane first made contact with McGregor when the pair were in Dubai, and it turns out they were planning to meet again ahead of UFC 303.
Unfortunately, McGregor's injury has halted those plans, but Loughnane would welcome the chance to train with him again if called upon.
“the next day, [fight] “I had plans to get on a plane with one of my coaches, book a flight and get on the first flight at 6am straight from Sioux Falls to Las Vegas to play the game, but obviously that didn't happen. I'm really looking forward to getting back,” Loughnane revealed.
“I'm in the UK right now, it's a short flight to Ireland. John and I [Kavanagh] We have a great relationship. Me and his other coach have a great relationship. As his cameraman, I know the whole team's training and I'm always there. [for it]There's no reason not to train with Conor McGregor. If he calls or messages me, I'll be there. My own camp is starting soon. I need guys who are always hungry, so it would be great to be there.”
