Conor McGregor’s return to MMA training has not filled fans with confidence about his potential UFC comeback.
McGregor has not entered the Octagon in over four years. The former featherweight and lightweight champion was last in action at UFC 264 in July 2021, when a broken leg brought his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier to an anticlimactic end.
Six months prior, McGregor suffered his first knockout loss in MMA, meaning his victory over Donald Cerrone in 2020 remains his sole triumph in the past nine years. That fact has left many writing off any chance of the Irishman finding more success as a fighter, especially after a broken toe canceled comeback plans in 2024.
‘The Notorious’, though, recently sparked talk of a return once again by reacting positively to Donald Trump’s planned UFC White House event in 2026.
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Cris Cyborg gets a laugh out of Conor McGregor’s UFC comeback training
The former double champion followed up his calls to headline next year’s July 4 celebrations with an official step toward a comeback, as McGregor returned to the UFC drug-testing pool.
And although his promotional work as part-owner of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and controversial political plans in Ireland appear to have remained his focus this year, the Irishman has returned to posting training footage online.
The latest came on Saturday via McGregor’s Instagram Stories and quickly made its way onto social media. Among those getting a laugh out of what they saw was Cris Cyborg, a former UFC champion who is widely regarded as a contender for female GOAT status in MMA.
The Brazilian legend appeared in the comments of a post that re-shared McGregor’s training clip, simply replying with a multitude of laughing emojis.
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Fans unenthused about Conor McGregor’s UFC comeback plans after new training clip
It did not take long for fans to also take note of McGregor’s latest training footage.
A significant portion shared a sentiment similar to Cyborg’s, with some urging him to stay away from an in-cage return and others predicting another loss if he ignores those pleas.
“Bro looks so bad now, just stay retired.”
“He will never come back!”
“He’s gonna get KO’d first round.”
“So bad and slow and just weird. Stay retired ’cause you’re gonna get knocked out in round 1. Face it man, it’s over.”
“Slowly turning into Chuck Liddell before retirement.”
Others, though, still see some appropriate matchups for the Irishman.
“(Michael) Chandler or (Nate) Diaz would be a good fight for him.”
“Him vs Donald Cerrone 2 would be a good matchup now, both hopping off gear back in the testing pool.”
“I still think it’s possible that he could KO (Ilia) Topuria. Conor been destroying short orthodox fighters his whole life.”