The mirage of a Conor McGregor return fight is one that’s perpetually circulated through the MMA airwaves since the former two-division UFC champion broke his leg in July 2021. While that window has seemingly closed on numerous occasions, McGregor, 37, continues to maintain he’ll put the gloves on again someday — and then take them off for an eventual appearance in the BKFC ring.
McGregor still has multiple fights remaining on his UFC contract, which he must fulfill before entertaining any side quests with the bare-knuckle promotion he co-owns. First and foremost, he’s targeted a comeback fight for the upcoming UFC White House card in June 2026. Though McGregor has said his appearance at the event is a “done deal,” UFC CEO Dana White has staunchly denied those claims.
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Regardless of whatever negotiations still need to occur, however, McGregor is going about his business as if a fight is indeed on the horizon, according to his longtime coach, SBG Ireland’s John Kavanagh.
“On our end, we’re 100% in,” Kavanagh said in-studio on Monday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “He’s asked me to basically lay out a program between now and June of how we’ll ramp up the training. He’s showing up again. He’s back in the gym most mornings, early. He’s just having fun with it.”
Since 2021, Conor McGregor has faced a string of high-profile legal and regulatory issues that have kept him in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons. Most notably, he was found liable in late 2024 for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in 2018, resulting in a damages order of more than €248,000 and a failed 2025 appeal that also sparked a perjury probe after his legal team withdrew key affidavits. McGregor was also hit with a separate civil lawsuit stemming from an alleged 2023 sexual assault during the NBA Finals in Miami — a case he denies, though prosecutors previously declined criminal charges. Beyond the courtroom, McGregor accepted an 18-month suspension under the UFC’s anti-doping program after missing three whereabouts checks in 2024, delaying any potential return until at least March 2026.
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Yet McGregor has continued to voice his desire to fight during regular public appearances as a part-owner of BKFC. Kavanagh said he’s been in constant contact with the Irish former UFC champion, who Kavanagh confirmed is very much itching to compete after watching the sport carry on without him.
“I got a bunch of messages after the show on Saturday night,” Kavanagh said, referencing UFC 322. “He wants to fight everybody, but certainly, he wants to go in back hard.
“How it works from a management point of view, that’s between them, so I don’t really get involved. From a training point of view, he’s already tasked me with wanting to get suitable training partners. We’ll do something in the gym, something at his house. He’s fully locked in that we’re going to be making the walk in six or seven months.
“If it’s Conor’s choice, he’s in. I don’t know how it will work with the UFC,” Kavanagh added.
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The closest McGregor has come to fighting over the past four years arrived in June 2024, when he was booked to finally collide with Michael Chandler at UFC 303. Weeks out from fight night, McGregor opted to withdraw from the bout despite coaching a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite Chandler. McGregor cited a broken pinky toe and shared images of the injury on social media. Coincidentally, the official announcement of his withdrawal came the same day as McGregor’s first UFC whereabouts failure.
Chandler has gone on to fight twice since their UFC 303 matchup fell through, but hasn’t given up hope on McGregor completely. He’s still open to the bout — and even more so a fight on the UFC’s White House card. Kavanagh believes that could still be the ideal return fight for “The Notorious.”
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“The last one we were so freaking close. We’ve just got to get back there again,” Kavanagh said. “Chandler’s not been quiet about wanting to be that guy. I think the matchup makes sense. It would be a fun one. I’d love it. I think they have a bit of a spark between them. They’ve done some stuff together before. It would be a fun fight week, press conference, all of that.
“Style-wise, that kind of shorter, stalky wrestler — [McGregor has] faced a few of those in his day. I’m in the mindset that that’s what we’re doing, so we’re already beginning our training for that.”
