The possibility of Conor
McGregor competing at UFC 300 now seems like a long shot at
best.
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During an appearance on „The MMA Hour,” SBG Ireland head trainer John
Kavanagh revealed that McGregor’s Octagon return has been
delayed yet again.
“We were hoping for April. That was the hope. That was what we were
told. And now it seems to be the summertime,” Kavanagh said.
“I don’t know [why]. That’s literally what we were having a bit of
a back and forward [about] today.”
April is the expected month for UFC 300, which will likely be one
of the promotion’s biggest events to date. McGregor re-entered the
drug testing pool in October, which would align with an April
return, and the former UFC two-division champion
also targeted that timeframe for his first fight since breaking
his leg in July 2021.
McGregor coached on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” opposite Michael
Chandler, and the two were initially supposed to meet at some
point in 2023. McGregor took some time to re-enter the drug testing
pool, which apparently delayed that booking. On Monday, Kavanagh
admitted that McGregor and the team are “very frustrated” that he
won’t be able to compete in April.
Kavanagh speculated that McGregor will now be held for the UFC’s
International Fight Week event in July. In the meantime, it’s key
to keep the Dublin native in a good place mentally. According to
Kavanagh, the team around him will help in that regard. As it
currently stands, Kavanagh confirmed that the plan is still to face
Chandler at 170 pounds when McGregor does make his return.
“Well, I was [worried about his mental health] too, I’m not going
to lie. But hearing him today, he’s out there finding this great
group of training partners — at least he’s doing that,” Kavanagh
said. “Hey, it’s not quite the same as getting in to compete in
front of a large crowd, but at least he’s getting training in, and
that’s so important. We heard Volk talk about that, ‘Keep me busy,’
and all that. So I love to hear that he’s training hard with these
guys.
“But look, and this is what I was saying to him as well — yeah, OK,
it’s a knock back if we’re hearing it was April but now it’s July,
but it’s not the end of the world. It is an extra couple of months.
It’s not great. But hey, you’re enjoying your training at the
moment. Let’s just keep that going. But the sport, you are around
for such a short time as compared to — well, I’m not going to try
to make a comparison to other sports or whatever, but like our
careers, we can do this for decades. For fighters, is a short
time.”