Conor McGregor Announces Return and Says He wanted to Replace Max Holloway at UFC 222…
It’s official. He’s coming back. UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has revealed that he will definitely be returning to fight in the octagon. The Irishman hasn’t fought under MMA rules since November 2016, when he took the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez.
Only this week he broke the record for most consecutive days passed without a title defense. ‘The Notorious’ has faced a lot of criticism for holding up the lightweight division. That looks likely to end in April when Khabib Nurmagamedov takes on Tony Ferguson for the official belt. As soon as there is an official result, McGregor will be stripped of his title.
However, McGregor is insistent that he is coming back. He has been very active of late on social media. Although he has spent a lot of time trying to bait Floyd Mayweather into an octagon appearance, he appears to have moved on. Now in a lengthy Instagram post, he has revealed his intentions.
Last Minute
Incredibly McGregor says that he asked to replace UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 222 after the Hawaiian pulled out against Frankie Edgar with an injury. According to the ‘Notorious’ he wanted to face Edgar without all the fanfare and media hassle that he would normally have to deal with.
The UFC didn’t want to sign McGregor up for a fight on such little notice. At the end of the day money talks, and McGregor is without a doubt their biggest cash pony. They won’t let him fight without milking the promotion money that would come their way.
What is exciting is that he appears to have regained his desire to fight and that it is looking increasingly likely that we’ll see him in the octagon, sometime in 2018. The UFC executives can breathe a sigh of relief. That said, the UFC did confirm yesterday that McGregor was indeed stripped of the lightweight belt and the Irshman has now responded:
Coming Back
McGregor posted on Instagram a photo of himself with a lengthy caption. He wrote:
“I am fighting again. Period. I am the best at this. I put my name forward to step in at UFC 222 to face Frankie Edgar when Max Holloway pulled out but I was told there wasn’t enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need.
I was excited about bouncing in last minute and taking out the final featherweight without all the rest of the stuff that comes with this game. Please respect the insane amount of work outside the fight game that I have put in.
On top of fighting. I am here. It is on them to come and get me. Because I am here. Yours sincerely, The Champ Champ™”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfgvR31Hu1i/?hl=en&taken-by=thenotoriousmma
Who is Next?
The next question is who McGregor will actually fight on his return to the UFC? The winner of Khabib Nurmagamedov V Tony Ferguson looks most likely. However, a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz is another option that McGregor is enthusiastic about.
Of course, there’s always a certain Mr. Mayweather Jr. Without a doubt, this would be the most lucrative option if it were to happen. It probably won’t, but at least ‘The Notorious’ is coming back. Fight fans around the world can rejoice.
