Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh likens potential Michael Chandler fight to a notable opponent in the past

Conor McGregor has been inactive from mixed martial arts for nearly two and a half years after breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021.

While 'The Notorious' appears to be nearing his return to the octagon, he remains without a date for the potential bout. He does, however, appear to have an opponent in Michael Chandler after the pair coached opposing sides on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.

The former double champ's long-time coach John Kavanagh recently compared the potential matchup to his UFC 189 bout with Chad Mendes, where McGregor captured the interim featherweight title.

Speaking with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, the Straight Blast Gym Ireland founder was asked if 'Iron' will be his opponent, responding:

"Yeah. In a nutshell, yes. The sparring we have been doing and the training that we have done, to date, has been with that style in mind, which is, to be honest, is somewhat Conor's bread and butter."

Kavanagh continued:

"Chandler's an absolute warrior, comes forward, throws big bombs, kind of powerful wrestling style.I've said it already in interviews - it does remind me a little bit of the Mendes fight, but up a couple of weight classes this time. We're all relishing the idea of that challenge."

Check out John Kavanagh's comments on Conor McGregor facing Michael Chandler below (starting at the 6:06 mark):

McGregor recently re-entered the United States Anti-Doping Agency testing pool, however, the company will part ways with the UFC at the end of the year.

The split was reportedly due to the mixed martial arts promotion's desire to have 'The Notorious' avoid the six-month waiting period to return to the octagon. It is unclear when he will return, however, there have been speculations he could compete at UFC 300.

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John Kavanagh speculates on Conor McGregor's motivation to continue fighting

Conor McGregor has won UFC titles in two weight classes and made more money than any mixed martial artist.

Despite this, 'The Notorious' remains intent on returning from a leg break that many believed could end his career. John Kavanagh recently speculated on his motivation to continue fighting, stating:

"There's only one thing that makes sense to me... You just love it. You just really enjoy it. If you take away somebody's financial motivation for doing something, you really learn what they want to do."

"He didn't go off and pick up golf. He didn't start doing fishing. He's not someone to go on six month type holidays. Wherever he goes, there's a gym with him, there's trainers, there's nutritionists. Since the leg break, nothing has changed since then," he added.

Kavanagh added that his conversations with McGregor always lead back to discussing techniques. He noted that despite becoming a massive star, 'The Notorious' has the same excitement as when he first came to train at SBG Ireland as a teenager. The former double champ's coach predicted that he would have a big year in 2024.

Check out John Kavanagh's comments on Conor McGregor's motivation below (starting at the 7:08 mark):