Jon Anik thinks Conor McGregor needs the UFC to scratch his competitive itch.
The MMA community is excited to see former champion Conor McGregor return to competition. He has been out of the Octagon for almost two years following his last bout in which he broke his leg. During his time away, McGregor has been healing up and has been teasing his return. Now his comeback fight seems more real than ever as he is one of the newest coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. He is coaching this season across from Michael Chandler and will be fighting Chandler at a later date.
There seem to be some extenuating circumstances that are keeping McGregor from his return, one being his USADA status. McGregor must return to the drug testing pool before booking a fight with the UFC. Some people are also questioning his desire to return since he is often photographed partying around the world. UFC commentator Jon Anik is not one of the people second-guessing McGregor’s determination.
Jon Anik thinks Conor McGregor needs to fight in order to be happy with himself
Anik is very emersed in the ins and outs of the UFC. He is often present at UFC fights and called the action cage side. He has been following McGregor’s career and is now giving his thoughts on the likelihood of a return by the end of the year. He spoke to Chamatkar Sandhu on Twitter about this.
“The only place for Connor to sort of scratch the competitive edge that he’s trying to scratch is the Octagon,” he said. “It’s not bare-knuckle boxing with respect. It’s nowhere else. It’s not in a boxing ring. And I would softly remind everyone that had he not broken his leg, we probably already would have seen him at least once if not twice more. I really do believe him at his word when he suggested he wants to be in an active competition cycle in the UFC.”
McGregor is already known as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. His resume and his popularity made him a fan favorite and a probable future Hall of Famer. Anik believes that although McGregor is very successful outside the cage and very wealthy, he needs the competitive nature of a UFC fight to be happy.
“He had to heal you know, like the man had to heal. So I am cautious in my optimism but yes, I think we get him fourth quarter, and dependent upon the result, I think you absolutely get him again first quarter, second quarter of 2024,” he said. “I feel like he’s chasing further greatness. And I know he has more money than he even ever expected that he would have, but how much is he going to enjoy his retirement, if he doesn’t get a few more scalps in MMA.”
McGregor seems more than willing to return to fighting. He must re-enter the USADA testing pool and test clean for six months. He has yet to show a clean test as of this month, which could push his return to November or December.
