Conor McGregor has revealed he will make his long-awaited comeback in April and dropped a hint about who his potential opponent would be.
MMA star McGregor hasn’t fought in more than two years after he broke his tibia when taking on Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
There has been significant speculation about when he would return, with McGregor having agreed to take on American star Michael Chandler in a UFC bout, but a date is still to be confirmed.
McGregor has 22 wins from 28 MMA bouts, while he also took part in one professional boxing match when he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2017.
And the Irishman – who is in Saudi Arabia for Tyson Fury’s Battle of the Baddest fight with Francis Ngannou – explained he would be returning to the octagon soon, while he also revealed talks had taken place over a boxing match against the legendary Manny Pacquiao.
Conor McGregor has revealed he will make his long-awaited comeback in April next year
He hasn’t fought in more than two years after breaking his tibia against Dustin Poirier in 2021
‘I’m in a great place, my body is fully healed and hopefully [I’ll be back in] April,’ he told TNT Sports.
’I would have loved a December fight, I would have dialled in but I want to be honest not just to myself but also my fans.
’April is a lovely run up for me and I’d be happy with that. I’m in a good spot, I’ve been training – I’ve been leaving also. But I’ve been training and April seems like a good time to come back.’
‘It’s almost three years now that I’ve been left from my way of living. So I’m eager to get back.’
McGregor then went onto explain how he would be looking to fight out in Saudi Arabia, as combat sports continue to increase their presence in the kingdom.
He added: ‘One of us in the MMA sphere is going to have to put a dint in the boxing run. We’re going to have to get in, switch the roles and get a win. And now it’s MMA time.
’I feel like I’m the person that can do that. His excellency (Mohammad bin Salman) set myself and Manny Pacquiao together. There was a discussion, it was close for us to fight in Saudi Arabia about two or three years ago now.
‘I’m sure we’ll pick where we left off. MMA is what I have lined up right now so that’s where I’m at.
McGregor revealed he held talks with Saudi Arabia over a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao
However, the Irishman, 35, insisted his first fight back next year would be in MMA
‘Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom and UFC have a deal so it’s growing. I’m up for anything.’
Pacquiao, 44, is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all-time but retired in 2021.
The Filipino, also known as ‘PacMan’, has since moved into politics and has a sensational record of 62 wins from 72 fights, including 39 wins by KO.
Pacquiao is the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing and has 12 major world titles to his name.
