UFC News: Conor McGregor blames 'politics of the prize' for his absence

Conor McGregor was recently part of a Q&A session in Ukraine during which he opened up on a plethora of interesting topics.

McGregor's addressed his lengthy hiatus and revealed the real reason why he was forced to be away from the Octagon. If it the reason had to be described in one word, it would be 'politics'.

The former UFC Champion confirmed in a press conference in Moscow recently that he would be returning at the January 18th event to be held at the T-Mobile Arena. However, McGregor originally wanted to fight in December this year and the UFC mysteriously kept holding him back. He added that the UFC was making it difficult for him without giving any specific reason.

McGregor admitted that he was frustrated over the long spell of inactivity and blamed the dreaded politics that happens behind the scenes. He doesn't care about the prize anymore, he just wants to fight.

Here are the best bits from McGregor's Q&A session:

“Funny enough, I just want to compete now. I was trying to get the Dec. 14 card. For whatever reason, they’ve been holding me back. I’m giving them dates. I’m saying ‘I want to fight this date, this date, this date, this date in a row.’ We have opponents selected and everything. They’re just making it very difficult for me for whatever reason.

For me, I used to fight every couple of weeks really before the UFC came. Then, it was every couple of months. Now, the politics of the prize got involved. It’s almost like I fight one and then I go up. I don’t like that. You can’t be like that in this game. I must continue. Consistency is another word for it. You must be consistent. Once we get the first one done and get past the politics of this, I will continue to go.

Create an event, find an opponent, compete (for) zero prize – I do not care about the prize. The prize is in my home. I have five prizes in my home that I seeked to get. I’ve got them. I just want to compete now. I want to come back. I want to get sharp. I want to show the best of myself and continue the climb. That’s what I’m seeking to do." H/t Credit: MMAJunkie

While it has been confirmed that McGregor will compete again in January next year, the identity of his opponent has been kept under wraps.

Who would you like to see McGregor go up against in his return fight? Sound off in the comments section below.