Conor McGregor’s latest sparring footage has fans feeling he’s about to roll back the years in his octagon return next month.
The legendary two-weight world champion hasn’t fought since the summer of 2021, but has finally set a date to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 this summer. And despite seemingly spending a lot of time at his Dublin pub, the Irishman is still training intensively as part of his first camp in three years.
McGregor’s latest social media posting included a number of photos from his sparring, and one video which appeared to show him practicing some old techniques. He has delighted viewers with the clip, where he looks to be sharp and fit heading into the bout.
Conor McGregor sparring footage delights fans on social media
Video from McGregor’s camp shows him at the Crumlin Boxing Club in South Dublin, sparring with a teammate in the ring. It’s a brief clip, but you can see his trademark movement and ring IQ, with the Irishman almost dropping his opponent despite having large headgear and gloves on.
“Chandler gonna be called ‘scrambler’ after you land that left,” one fan wrote in the comments section on Instagram, before advising the multiple-time world champion “Teep champ, teep to set it up.”
One Instagram user added that “Motivated McGregor is back,” which was added to by one noting that “Mystic Mac is back”. Influencer Nina Marie Daniele commented that “That left hand is looking LETHAL!”
Fans notice Conor McGregor is using technique from famous world title win
And some eagle-eyed viewers even noticed that McGregor appeared to be using the same punch that won him his first undisputed UFC title. In December of 2015, the Irishman knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds with a pull counter left hand that dethroned the long-reigning champion.
One fan wrote that “It’s starting to look like 2016 again,” while another made the note that “That hook took Aldo out.”
Another commenter made the bold claim that McGregor would only need to be half as good as his prime in order to take out his former Bellator champion rival. “If this bugger has at least 50% of what was from 2015 to 2016, I believe he puts Chandler to sleep in the first round,” they wrote.
Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler breaks UFC gate records
While McGregor may seem to have lost some of his allure over the past few years, the gate receipts seem to indicate he is a bigger star than ever. He already holds all but one of the top five grossing events in company history, and has already cemented his spot at number one with UFC 303.
McGregor himself holds the current title for UFC 205, when he generated $17,700,000 against Eddie Alvarez. Speaking with media after UFC St Louis last Saturday night, Dana White confirmed the monster gate record, saying: “It’s already way over $20 million.”
His stardom relative to when his peak was is quite remarkable. Since UFC 205 almost eight years ago, he has competed just four times, one of which was with a limited crowd during the covid era, but his records have yet to be topped even with the advent of dynamic pricing for tickets.