Conor McGregor will return to the UFC in 2018.
McGregor has not fought in the Octagon since his Lightweight title win over Eddie Alvarez in 2016, and he has been negotiating a return to the promotion since his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last summer.
It had been suggested that the plan was for McGregor to be stripped of his lightweight belt with interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson to fight undefeated top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed belt.
Dana White took to a Boston radio show earlier this month to confirm that Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov would indeed proceed at UFC 223 in Brooklyn in April.
It’s assumed that McGregor will face the winner of that fight upon his comeback, especially with Nate Diaz likely not to fight for the belt upon his slated this summer, and Kavanagh confirmed on a Facebook live video on the Wimp 2 Warrior Facebook page that McGregor would return to the UFC in 2018.
“There’s so much happening in the division and things changing around and what have you,” said Kavanagh. “I can’t say who [he’ll fight]. I can’t say when [he’ll be back].”
“As people who follow him on social media will see, he’s back, very motivated, training a lot. He’s in the gym every day.
“The plan seems to be forming and getting more exact every day that [he’ll be] back in the UFC this year.
“When and against who, I would be just guessing.”
White said that McGregor may be stripped of his Lightweight title if he does not return to the company before September.
“Conor has said that he’s thinking about coming back in September,” White told the assembled media at the UFC Fight Night 124 post-fight press conference.
“If he comes back in September, that’s almost two years – that can’t happen. It’s not fair to everybody else.
“Love Conor, respect Conor, love everything that he’s done for this company – everybody knows that; I say it all the time – the belt would have to move on.”
