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Chael Sonnen believes the recent rumor that Conor McGregor might not return before 2023 is a good one for the UFC.
According to 'The Bad Guy', a timeline for McGregor's return will help the UFC finalize other fights for the star names. Many of the biggest stars are looking for a fight against the Irishman and could be willing to delay their return for the same.
Here's what Sonnen stated on his YouTube channel:
"Conor McGregor's return might be held on till 2023. That's the best thing for the industry. We need that to be stop. Hard stop right there. That needs to be the message. Let me tell you why. As soon as I heard that I thought oh my goodness, if we kick the can till 2023, we don't have to do the guessing game. We don't have to do the back-and-forth. Do you know how much easier it is gonna be to make fights for the balance of 2022?"
Sonnen went on to name the biggest stars in the UFC at the moment who are looking to fight the former two-division champion. This list also includes Michael Chandler and Jorge Masvidal.
Sonnen added that it would be easier for the UFC to get them fights as they now have a clear timeline for McGregor's return and won't be looking to wait for that fight.
"You have Charles Oliveira right now, willing to fight anybody but wanting to fight Conor McGregor. You have Volkanovski, who has a fight coming up against Max Holloway, but he was talking about going up to fight Conor McGregor. You have Henry Cejudo, who is returning we believe at a 135 lbs, but he was doing interviews about meeting Conor and going upto 155 lbs."
Watch Sonnen talk about McGregor's return:
Conor McGregor left fans stunned with his new training footage amidst talks of a comeback
McGregor shared new footage on social media where he can be seen going back to kicking heavy bags. The Irish fighter went hard on the bag with his recently healed leg.
The footage left fans stunned as many lauded the 33-year-old for his mental and physical toughness. It's hard for anyone to go all out in training just after returning from such a gruesome injury. However, it didn't seem like much of a problem for the Irishman.
Watch McGregor kick the heavy bag with his previously fractured leg:
Fans have already started to anticipate a possible timeline for his return and a potential opponent.
