The former UFC champ-champ has not competed since UFC 264 in July of 2021 but it’s clear that he has the desire to.
Anyone who has seen the passion that takes over Conor McGregor when he’s in attendance at a combat sports event will know that the MMA star is still excited about the idea of getting back into some form of competition.
For many years, his long awaited return to the UFC Octagon has been a major talking point in the sport and we even got just weeks away from it happening at UFC 303 last year.
The Irishman’s injury which led to him withdrawing from that bout appeared to put a halt on any talks of the fight with Michael Chandler being rescheduled anytime soon with “Iron” Mike moving on with his career.
McGregor may not be seen in a positive light right now but his recent business ventures have given him a route back into the limelight if he’s able to make that crucial next step.
Conor McGregor says he will compete in BKFC, names multiple potential opponents
In April last year, Conor McGregor announced that he was now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships and his presence has certainly been felt in the promotion since then.
‘The Notorious’ is regularly in attendance for the promotion’s press conferences where his star status is always going to draw eyeballs to what BKFC are doing.
In a recent presser to promote BKFC Italy on April 26, McGregor made a big statement that fans have expected for some time now.
‘The Mac’ made it perfectly clear that he will step inside the bare knuckle ring at some stage in his career without giving a time frame.
“Yes, yes. The warrior spirit burns inside me strongly, for sure. If you think I’m up here giving these speeches and leading these men into battle and I won’t step in there myself, think again. For sure, Conor McGregor will fight in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, mark my words.”
When asked whether he has any specific opponents in mind for what would comfortably be the biggest fight in the history of the promotion, McGregor threw a few ideas out there.
Ultimately, he stressed that he wants to compete for a world title but that doesn’t eliminate the possibility of sharing the ring with some names that he has history with.
“I’d like a world title in this company. I would wish to be the Bare Knuckle world champion. That is a significant belt to hold in your career. Nobody from boxing to mixed martial arts can speak nothing bad on a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship world champion so for sure I would be coming in looking for the world title.
“There are many bouts, showcase bouts you could say, Mike Perry, you could say Jeremy Stephens, you could say a rematch against Eddie Alvarez. You could say many matches but the lightweight title, who’s the champion right now? Lightweight? Welterweight? Let’s see. I’m open, we’ll when it comes.”
Conor McGregor is yet to give any sort of timeline for his return
The fact of the matter is that we still don’t know when Conor McGregor could possibly make a return to competition.
His situation has been extremely confusing for some time now with the Irishman regularly claiming in recent years that he was ready and willing to fight in the UFC without it ever happening.
Whether or not he steps back inside the Octagon, there’s also no guarantee that the UFC would allow him to compete in BKFC whilst he’s still under contract with the MMA leader.
McGregor doesn’t seem any closer to fighting again than he was several years ago but as is always the case with anything that ‘The Notorious’ does, he will continue to turn heads whether it happens or not.