Every major sport has its icons. And when it comes to MMA, there are a handful.
Anderson Silva. Khabib Nurmagomedov. Jon Jones. These are just some of the biggest names that have graced the sport over the years.
However, when people think about MMA — specifically, the UFC — one name always comes to mind. That name is Conor McGregor.
McGregor isn’t the best fighter in UFC history. Some fans wouldn’t even put him in their top 5. But McGregor’s hellacious run from 2014 to 2016, where his ‘fight anyone anywhere’ style skyrocketed him to global fame, will go down in folklore.
During this time, McGregor quite literally took over the world and became the only fighter in the UFC to ever hold two division titles at the same time. Even non-MMA fans knew who he was. Simply put, McGregor’s name was everywhere and he’s largely responsible for turning the UFC into the household name that it is today.
Unfortunately for McGregor, a $600m boxing match against a retired Floyd Mayweather, coupled together with alleged drug and alcohol problems away from the Octagon, led to the downfall of “The Notorious”. From 2017 onwards, McGregor’s MMA career effectively went into freefall, with McGregor’s last win coming way back in 2020 against Donald Cerrone.
Flash forward to today and McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021. During this period, the Irish MMA legend has struggled with reported substance abuse, public fights, and a highly controversial court case. All of this has ultimately led to him being inactive in the UFC for several years, despite continued promises from Dana White that he would be returning.
Will Conor McGregor Return in 2025?
Yes — it currently looks like Conor McGregor will finally return to the UFC in 2025. This, at least, is what Dana White believes will happen. Just a few weeks ago, White was speaking at a UFC 309 press conference and had this to say:
“There’s no doubt. I told you guys that he probably wouldn’t fight in ‘24 and he didn’t. He’s going to fight in ‘25, probably at the end of the year. If it’s earlier, it’s good for all of us.”
This would give McGregor more than enough time to get back into shape for a comeback fight. After all, his reported issues with alcohol and drugs have left him looking a shadow of his 2015 self in recent times, with photos and videos showing the former champion looking bloated and not fight-ready.
In regards to a potential comeback, McGregor himself is still eager. And according to Dana White, Conor has been hitting him up regularly on the phone asking for a fight to be scheduled. However, this has been going on for several years now, so there’s reason to be skeptical.
Since 2021, every year there have been fresh reports of an imminent Conor McGregor return, only for the fight to then get cancelled. In some cases, nothing happens at all. This is why fans will be hoping that 2025 is going to be a little different.
Why a McGregor UFC Comeback Could Work
At this stage in his career, a Conor McGregor comeback does make a lot of sense. At 36 years of age, the clock is ticking for the Irishman and it will soon be the fourth anniversary of McGregor’s last fight in the Octagon. So, if McGregor truly wants to return and Dana White is happy, it really is a case of now or never in 2025. Plus, having McGregor return to the UFC for potentially one last fight would draw huge PPVs and streaming numbers. Let’s not forget that the stats show McGregor holds the current UFC record for most PPV buys (2.4M) following his iconic 2018 fight against Khabib Nurmagomdov, so if the opponent was right, there’s no reason why a McGregor comeback wouldn’t do over 1 million buys.
Who Would McGregor’s Return Opponent Be?
Speaking of McGregor’s return opponent, there’s still a lot of talk about who it could potentially be. Originally, it was supposed to be Michael Chandler, but that fight ultimately got cancelled and Chandler went on to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 instead. Regarding a potential fight with Chandler next year instead, McGregor has claimed that “maybe we can do it” but he’s “out of the loop” so no longer has any certainty about his UFC future.
Interestingly, after the latest cancellation, McGregor got straight on the phone to Saudi Arabian boxing force Turki Alalshikh to discuss a potential boxing match while his UFC return remains up in the air. This is something that McGregor has previously asked for too, as you might remember a Pacquiao-McGregor exhibition bout very nearly happened a few years ago. Will McGregor get back in the boxing ring before the Octagon? It’s a realistic possibility.
Summary
Interestingly, a lot of UFC fans forget that McGregor still has 2 fights left on his official UFC contract. Therefore, even if the highly anticipated return fight against Chandler can never be truly made, the UFC will find someone else for McGregor to face off against. And when it happens, it might just be one of the biggest sporting comebacks of all time, whether McGregor goes up against an already established fighter or one of the UFC’s many up-and-coming stars. For now, it’s a case of waiting to see what happens — but a McGregor 2025 return looks more likely than ever.
The MMA world needs a Conor McGregor comeback.
Every major sport has its icons. And when it comes to MMA, there are a handful.
Anderson Silva. Khabib Nurmagomedov. Jon Jones. These are just some of the biggest names that have graced the sport over the years.
However, when people think about MMA — specifically, the UFC — one name always comes to mind. That name is Conor McGregor.
McGregor isn’t the best fighter in UFC history. Some fans wouldn’t even put him in their top 5. But McGregor’s hellacious run from 2014 to 2016, where his ‘fight anyone anywhere’ style skyrocketed him to global fame, will go down in folklore.
During this time, McGregor quite literally took over the world and became the only fighter in the UFC to ever hold two division titles at the same time. Even non-MMA fans knew who he was. Simply put, McGregor’s name was everywhere and he’s largely responsible for turning the UFC into the household name that it is today.
Unfortunately for McGregor, a $600m boxing match against a retired Floyd Mayweather, coupled together with alleged drug and alcohol problems away from the Octagon, led to the downfall of “The Notorious”. From 2017 onwards, McGregor’s MMA career effectively went into freefall, with McGregor’s last win coming way back in 2020 against Donald Cerrone.
Flash forward to today and McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021. During this period, the Irish MMA legend has struggled with reported substance abuse, public fights, and a highly controversial court case. All of this has ultimately led to him being inactive in the UFC for several years, despite continued promises from Dana White that he would be returning.
Will Conor McGregor Return in 2025?
Yes — it currently looks like Conor McGregor will finally return to the UFC in 2025. This, at least, is what Dana White believes will happen. Just a few weeks ago, White was speaking at a UFC 309 press conference and had this to say:
“There’s no doubt. I told you guys that he probably wouldn’t fight in ‘24 and he didn’t. He’s going to fight in ‘25, probably at the end of the year. If it’s earlier, it’s good for all of us.”
This would give McGregor more than enough time to get back into shape for a comeback fight. After all, his reported issues with alcohol and drugs have left him looking a shadow of his 2015 self in recent times, with photos and videos showing the former champion looking bloated and not fight-ready.
In regards to a potential comeback, McGregor himself is still eager. And according to Dana White, Conor has been hitting him up regularly on the phone asking for a fight to be scheduled. However, this has been going on for several years now, so there’s reason to be skeptical.
Since 2021, every year there have been fresh reports of an imminent Conor McGregor return, only for the fight to then get cancelled. In some cases, nothing happens at all. This is why fans will be hoping that 2025 is going to be a little different.
Why a McGregor UFC Comeback Could Work
At this stage in his career, a Conor McGregor comeback does make a lot of sense. At 36 years of age, the clock is ticking for the Irishman and it will soon be the fourth anniversary of McGregor’s last fight in the Octagon. So, if McGregor truly wants to return and Dana White is happy, it really is a case of now or never in 2025. Plus, having McGregor return to the UFC for potentially one last fight would draw huge PPVs and streaming numbers. Let’s not forget that the stats show McGregor holds the current UFC record for most PPV buys (2.4M) following his iconic 2018 fight against Khabib Nurmagomdov, so if the opponent was right, there’s no reason why a McGregor comeback wouldn’t do over 1 million buys.
Who Would McGregor’s Return Opponent Be?
Speaking of McGregor’s return opponent, there’s still a lot of talk about who it could potentially be. Originally, it was supposed to be Michael Chandler, but that fight ultimately got cancelled and Chandler went on to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 instead. Regarding a potential fight with Chandler next year instead, McGregor has claimed that “maybe we can do it” but he’s “out of the loop” so no longer has any certainty about his UFC future.
Interestingly, after the latest cancellation, McGregor got straight on the phone to Saudi Arabian boxing force Turki Alalshikh to discuss a potential boxing match while his UFC return remains up in the air. This is something that McGregor has previously asked for too, as you might remember a Pacquiao-McGregor exhibition bout very nearly happened a few years ago. Will McGregor get back in the boxing ring before the Octagon? It’s a realistic possibility.
Summary
Interestingly, a lot of UFC fans forget that McGregor still has 2 fights left on his official UFC contract. Therefore, even if the highly anticipated return fight against Chandler can never be truly made, the UFC will find someone else for McGregor to face off against. And when it happens, it might just be one of the biggest sporting comebacks of all time, whether McGregor goes up against an already established fighter or one of the UFC’s many up-and-coming stars. For now, it’s a case of waiting to see what happens — but a McGregor 2025 return looks more likely than ever.