Conor McGregor Claims Fight Announcement Is ‘Very Close’
Conor McGregor has been very vocal about wanting to return to the Octagon soon. In fact, McGregor would eventually like to fight the winner of Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz at UFC 244 as his second fight of 2020. As for his first fight, McGregor wants to get back to work in January.
Who his opponent for that bout will be remains to be seen, but speaking at a Parimatch Q&A in Ukraine recently, the Irishman teased the news is “very close” to being announced. Perhaps within the next few days of his trip.
“We are very very close to announcing it,” McGregor said. “Not just yet, but shortly over the course of this trip we should have an announcement. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
McGregor hasn’t fought since October of last year when he was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Prior to that, his last fight inside the UFC’s Octagon was in November of 2016, when he beat Eddie Alvarez to become a two-division champion under the promotion’s banner.
With a return in early 2020, McGregor claims he wants to get back to being active inside the Octagon, the way he used to be during the early days of his UFC run.
“For me, I’m looking – I used to fight every couple of weeks, really, before the UFC came. Then it was every couple of months,” McGregor said. “Now the politics of the prize got involved and it’s almost – if I’ve won then I go off, I do not like that. You can not be like that in this game, I must continue. Consistency is another word, you must be consistent.
“So once we get the first one done and we get past the politics of this, I will continue to go. I’ve taken very little damage inside of the Octagon, so I am eager to get going and continue. If I look at the run I had going up to Eddie Alvarez, when I won the second world title, it was consecutive bouts. Bout, bout, bout. So I went into that Eddie Alvarez fight sharp. Aware. Fully prepared.
“What happened that night, one of the greatest performances in any title fight ever in the UFC. So that’s what we are looking to continue on the next time.”
Do you think McGregor will be more active inside the Octagon in 2020?