“Don’t be his punching bag” - Fans react as Conor McGregor’s sparring partner drops fresh training picture

Conor McGregor is evidently preparing for his comeback in the octagon.

'The Notorious' has been out of action since sustaining a significant leg injury during his last fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. McGregor's role as a coach, alongside Michael Chandler, in 'The Ultimate Fighter' Season 31 had generated considerable anticipation for his highly anticipated comeback.

However, the Irishman's targeted bout against Chandler for this year was foiled due to his failure to meet the USADA's required drug testing standards within the specified timeframe. Current reports indicate that McGregor has now complied by providing his samples, potentially paving the way for his return in April 2024 or thereabouts.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Conor McGregor discussed his potential comeback to the octagon and indicated his eagerness to compete in April 2024.

Check out McGregor's comments below:

McGregor has recently been posting glimpses of his training, hinting at his preparations for his comeback. Additionally, British mixed martial artist Brendan Loughnane recently posted a photo from his joint sparring session with the former two-division UFC champion.

Check out the photo below:

Conor McGregor's photo in training gear elicited an array of responses from the MMA community.

One fan wrote:

"Smash it champ"

Another wrote:

"Conor will be fighting at Middle/light heavy at this rate"

Check out some more reactions below:

"Don't be his punching bag. Smack him back if you can"

"Plz pretend the bank acct is at 0 for this one mac"

"It’ll be UFC 300.. no doubt"

"I look forward to your return my champ watching you fight is something very cool you are the true king of the mma 🦍☘❤"

Credits: @BrendanMMA on X and @thenotoriousmma on Instagram

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Conor McGregor responds to Islam Makhachev's ascension as the new UFC pound-for-pound king

Conor McGregor responded to Islam Makhachev's rise in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

After Makhachev's successful title defense in UFC 294 with a first-round knockout against Alexander Volkanovski, he initially held the second spot. However, he recently claimed the top position. Makhachev surpassed Jon Jones, who withdrew from UFC 295 against Stipe Miocic because of a pectoral injury sustained during preparation.

Expressing apparent dissatisfaction with the recent rankings update, 'The Notorious' turned to X and uploaded an image from Islam Makhachev's second UFC bout, where the Russian suffered a first-round knockout loss to Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in 2015. McGregor also shared a screenshot of a news article from 2016 covering Makhachev's suspension for using the banned substance meldonium. He wrote:

"Ko’d unconscious and caught on steroids. MMA’s current p4p no1. What a sport 😂"

Check out the post below (now deleted):

Credits: @TheNotoriousMMA on X