Conor McGregor is gearing up for his return to combat sports and already has his sights set on making history in 2026.
Nothing has been made official as of now, but McGregor is expected to make his long-awaited
comeback to UFC competition sometime next year. “Notorious” hasn’t competed inside of the Octagon since suffering a career-changing leg injury in a trilogy fight loss to Dustin Poirier all the way back at UFc 264. That was well over four years ago.
It’s been a long road back for McGregor with a few interesting stops along the way, but it appears the former UFC double champion is ready to make another run at MMA glory. And if McGregor has it his way he’ll get a chance to challenge current UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev — who just beat Jack Della Maddalena for the belt at UFC 322 — for the opportunity to win his third UFC title.
“I’m motivated,” McGregor told Bloody Elbow when asked about a fight against Makhachev (shown above). “I’m self-motivated and I for sure want a crack at that belt. I for sure want a crack at that 170-pound belt to go for the triple crown.”
“It would be a good fight, a good scrap,” added McGregor. “Southpaw, southpaw. It was a good performance out of him and fair play to him, he had the courage to do it, to go up. So yeah, I’m excited for it, let’s see what happens. Let’s get back in the mix.”
It’s unlikely that UFC matchmakers grant McGregor a welterweight title shot upon his return so fight fans should probably expect something else in early 2026. Instead, McGregor’s best and most sensical option would be a grudge match against lightweight fan favorite Michael Chandler. The two coached opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter and were already booked to fight at UFC 303 before an injury to McGregor spoiled everything.
That said, McGregor doesn’t really care who he faces in his return. He’s going to sit back and let UFC matchmakers do what they do best.
“I won’t say no to no one,” McGregor said. “The UFC will decide it and I don’t care, I just want to come back. I’m just eager to come back and show my work.”
If UFC matchmakers want to make the most out of McGregor’s return they’ll probably have him come back at the upcoming White House event next June. McGregor has previously been linked to the massive fight card and has already begun training to compete on the White House lawn.
“The White House is on,” McGregor said. “We’re just waiting for a full confirmation. I assume around February, they’ll come reaching out and we’ll go into the contract negotiations and matchmaking orders, that’s what they say. So I’m just staying ready in the gym, two times a day.“
