John Kavanagh: Conor McGregor’s Return Likely Delayed Until Summer 2024

The possibility of Conor McGregor competing at UFC 300 now seems like a long shot at best.

During an appearance on "The MMA Hour,” SBG Ireland head trainer John Kavanagh revealed that McGregor’s Octagon return has been delayed yet again.

“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.

“I don’t know [why]. That’s literally what we were having a bit of a back and forward [about] today.”

April is the expected month for UFC 300, which will likely be one of the promotion’s biggest events to date. McGregor re-entered the drug testing pool in October, which would align with an April return, and the former UFC two-division champion also targeted that timeframe for his first fight since breaking his leg in July 2021.

McGregor coached on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” opposite Michael Chandler, and the two were initially supposed to meet at some point in 2023. McGregor took some time to re-enter the drug testing pool, which apparently delayed that booking. On Monday, Kavanagh admitted that McGregor and the team are “very frustrated” that he won’t be able to compete in April.

Kavanagh speculated that McGregor will now be held for the UFC’s International Fight Week event in July. In the meantime, it’s key to keep the Dublin native in a good place mentally. According to Kavanagh, the team around him will help in that regard. As it currently stands, Kavanagh confirmed that the plan is still to face Chandler at 170 pounds when McGregor does make his return.

“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. “Hey, it’s not quite the same as getting in to compete in front of a large crowd, but at least he’s getting training in, and that’s so important. We heard Volk talk about that, ‘Keep me busy,’ and all that. So I love to hear that he’s training hard with these guys.

“But look, and this is what I was saying to him as well — yeah, OK, it’s a knock back if we’re hearing it was April but now it’s July, but it’s not the end of the world. It is an extra couple of months. It’s not great. But hey, you’re enjoying your training at the moment. Let’s just keep that going. But the sport, you are around for such a short time as compared to — well, I’m not going to try to make a comparison to other sports or whatever, but like our careers, we can do this for decades. For fighters, is a short time.”