Michael Bisping believes we will see the Conor McGregor of old when the Irishman makes his highly anticipated return.
While we may not have a specific date for McGregor’s long-awaited comeback, the former two-division titleholder’s return to the USADA testing pool all but confirms that we will see him back in the Octagon in 2024. The news is undeniably encouraging for fans of the Irishman, but there is one question that still remains; can McGregor recapture his glory days and make another run at a world title?
Dana White says Conor McGregor has submitted his paperwork to re-enter the USADA testing pool ✍️pic.twitter.com/nmNGPaxkta
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) October 8, 2023
Only time will tell, but if you ask ex-middleweight champ Michael Bisping, the answer is a resounding yes.
“I think – and call me crazy, I think [Conor McGregor] is going to come back and look great,” Bisping said on his Believe You Me podcast. “I think that he’s gonna be motivated. I think now he has six months to really turn it on. I know Dana [White] came out and was asked about it at a press conference recently and said you know, maybe he hasn’t got that same hunger because he’s a very, very wealthy man and that’s true.
“That is definitely a point and we see [McGregor] living his flamboyant lifestyle and rightly so, he’s earned that but you got to remember, a guy that can reach the levels that he did, become a two-weight champion, there’s work ethic there. There’s discipline there and there’s insane natural ability and a guy that has that, if you give him six months he can get that back again in my opinion because there’s two things you can’t buy.
“You can’t buy the UFC lightweight championship of the world, and you can’t buy respect as a fighter and that’s something that he holds dear to his heart.”
Is Conor McGregor Being Positioned to Headline UFC 300 Next Year?
It’s been more than two years since McGregor has competed inside the Octagon, but the Irishman has remained one of MMA’s biggest stars thanks to his presence on social media and his appearance on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter earlier this year.
With his timeline for return being a minimum of six months, many fans suspect that McGregor is being positioned to headline the promotion’s historic UFC 300 card expected to go down in April 2024 alongside former Bellator MMA champion ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler.
UFC CEO Dana White recently stated that they do not have any tentative plans for McGregor’s return as of yet, but during an appearance on The MMA Hour, Michael Chandler suggested that everything seems to be lining up for the two to meet at the promotion’s third centennial event next year.
Watch the full podcast below:
