- Conor McGregor is targeting a rematch with a former opponent before he retires
- The lightweight star hasn’t fought since his 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier
- Why Anthony Joshua’s Next Fight Plan Makes Sense For His Career: The hook
UFC star Conor McGregor is targeting a rematch with a bitter rival before ending his career.
The 35-year-old took to social media to brand his former opponent as ‘the biggest chicken in the fight’.
McGregor hasn’t fought since his first-round defeat to Dustin Poirier in 2021, where he suffered a brutal leg injury.
The former two-division champion claims he will return to the cage in April after a three-year hiatus as he insists he will compete at UFC 300.
It seems likely that the Irishman will face top lightweight contender Michael Chandler, but nothing has been confirmed yet by Dana White and the UFC. Despite having his eye on ‘Iron’ Mike, McGregor is targeting a rematch with a major rival.
Conor McGregor is aiming for a rematch with a bitter rival before calling it a career
The Irishman hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021
The Irishman is fighting for a rematch with none other than former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The 35-year-old retired with a professional record of 29-0 and was arguably one of the most dominant fighters of his generation.
Both McGregor and Nurmgamedov went head-to-head at UFC 229 in 2018 in what was billed as the biggest fight in Mixed Martial Arts history – with the Russian winning via fourth-round submission.
The bad blood between the two spilled over after the fight – with McGregor in the middle of a post-fight brawl with ‘Team Nurmagomedov’.
Since the meeting, the Irishman has repeatedly called for a rematch with the Russian, but nothing has ever materialized.
As mentioned, McGregor took to social media to confirm his interest in fighting at UFC 300. However, his coach believes his star fighter will make a sensational return to the Octagon in the summer – perhaps in time for International Fight Week.
Speaking The MMA hourKavanagh said: “We were hoping for April. That was the hope. That was what we were told. And now it seems to be summer.
‘I do not know why). That’s literally what we were kind of talking about today.”
McGregor has called for a rematch with long-time rival and former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov
The Irishman claims that the Russian is taking on the ‘biggest challenge’, but has since deleted the tweet
The pair went head-to-head in 2018, with Nurmagomedov winning via fourth-round submission
Ahead of the weekend’s thrilling UFC 295 event – which saw Tom Aspinall become the third British UFC champion in history – White confirmed the UFC was targeting a summer date for McGregor’s return.
Speaking to Mail Sport, White said: ‘He’s good, he’s ready.
“He wants (to fight). He must serve six months before he can reenter the drug testing pool. So realistically… he could be looking at him next summer.”
White and Kavanagh’s comments are in stark contrast to what the ‘Notorious’ claimed a month ago when asked about his UFC return in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m in a great place, my body is fully healed and hopefully I’ll be back in April,” McGregor told TNT Sports.