Conor McGregor‘s UFC return, originally targeted for April, has been delayed to the summer, leading to frustration from both McGregor and his coach John Kavanagh, who remains hopeful that a fight in April will still be possible.
Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return has been delayed once again, according to McGregor’s longtime coach John Kavanagh of SBG Ireland.
“We were hoping for April. That was the hope. That was what we were told. And now it seems to be the summertime,” Kavanagh said Monday on The MMA Hour.
“I don’t know [why]. That’s literally what we were having a bit of a back and forward [about] today.”
McGregor told reporters in late October that the UFC was targeting April for his comeback fight.
Kavangh also acknowledged that he’s had his own concerns about the effect a longer wait will have on an already impatient McGregor in regards to the former champ’s mental health.
“Well, I was [worried about his mental health] too, I’m not going to lie. But hearing him today, he’s out there finding this great group of training partners — at least he’s doing that,” Kavanagh said.
Kavanagh said he remains hopeful that the UFC changes its mind and follows through with an April date for McGregor. If that happens, he believes McGregor would be eager to return for a second fight in 2024 “in September or the end of the summer,” health permitting. He added that he expects Michael Chandler at 170 pounds to be the next matchup and that McGregor has been 100 percent recovered from his injured leg “for a while” now.
In the end, though, if April is suddenly out of the question, the SBG Ireland headman said Team McGregor will simply adjust and roll with the punches, as they’ve always done.
“What good does worry do me?” Kavanagh said.
“[My wife] sent me a great one, it was like, ‘Worry is like paying a debt you don’t owe.’ So look, what will be will be. Today’s great. … For me to live in seven months’ time, I can’t do it.”