Coach Kavanagh: McGregor’s UFC Return To Be Announced ‘Soon’

The rollercoaster that is Conor McGregor‘s UFC career has been one of endless undulation. From his historically hot start, to his tightly contested battle with Chad Mendes, to his unprecedented KO of former featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo and back down to his upset loss against Nate Diaz, “The Notorious'” time in the UFC has been anything but boring. Even when his name does not appear on any fight cards coming up in the near future, he still manages to dominate the headlines.

His recent verbal scuffle with UFC brass culminated with his removal from the landmark UFC 200 event, where McGregor was scheduled to try and avenge his only UFC loss to lightweight boxing ace Nate Diaz. Amid constant speculation as to when the Irish striker would make his return to the Octagon, his increasingly outspoken coach, John Kavanagh, gave his two cents today (May 3, 2016) on the ever-popular subject:

“[Conor will return at] 201 or 202, announcement to come soon I’m sure.”

So, according to Kavanagh, “The Notorious” should be making his return to combat at either UFC 201 or 202. There are currently no set dates for either of these cards and his opponent has obviously yet to be named, but if UFC President Dana White has anything to say on the matter (and you best believe he does), McGregor will face the winner of Jose Aldo versus Frankie Edgar who will step into the cage together for the interim featherweight title at UFC 200 on July 9.

However, there are just two problems with this. First, the gap between UFC 200 and UFC 201 (even 202) is entirely too close for either Edgar or Aldo to [successfully] make that turnaround and second, both McGregor and his teammates have been quite clear that the weight cut down to 145lbs is just too taxing on his body. So, the likely and heavily favored choice would be for McGregor and Nate Diaz to square off again and settle their business once and for all.

Either way, it’s looking more and more doubtful that Conor McGregor will ever return to the featherweight division that he so handily mowed through. He’s been quite vocal about his reluctance to relinquish his gold, but if his body just can’t handle the weight cut anymore, he may have to set his sights on the lightweight belt and his old pal, Mr. Rafael dos Anjos.

No matter what the outcome, you can bet your bottom dollar that “Notorious” will grace the Octagon with his presence again in 2016.