Conor McGregor is already deep into training camp ahead of his potential return to the Octagon in 2026.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has signaled his intention to compete when the UFC hosts an event at the White House next June, and his coach, John Kavanagh, says “The Notorious” has already begun preparing for the occasion.
“I could tell (you) on our end, we're 100% in,” Kavanagh told Ariel Helwani on Monday. “He's asked me to basically lay out a program between now and June of how we'll ramp up our training. He's showing up again, he's back in the gym most mornings, early. and yeah, he's having fun with it.
“I got a bunch of messages after the show on Saturday night (UFC 322). He wants to fight everybody, but certainly, he wants to get on that card. So how it works from a management point of view, that's between them, so I don't really get involved in that. But from a trainer's point of view, he's already tasked me with putting together a team of suitable trainer partners. We'll do some of it in the gym, some of it in his house. Like I said, if it's Conor's choice, he's in. I don't know how it will work with UFC.”
McGregor last fought in 2021, suffering a devastating leg injury in his loss to Dustin Poirier. He was expected to return at UFC 303 last July against Michael Chandler, but a foot injury sustained during training forced him to withdraw just weeks before the event.
Kavanagh maintains that Chandler remains the planned opponent for McGregor’s comeback, especially given their shared coaching roles on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter last year.
“I mean, the last one we were so freaking close until he clipped (his training partner) Tristan on the elbow, so look, we just got to get back there again,” Kavanagh said. “I think Chandler's not being quiet about wanting to be that guy, and I think the matchup makes sense. I think it'll be a fun one.
“I think they kind of have a bit of a spark between them. They've done some stuff together before. I think it'll be a fun fight week, press conference, all of that. Style-wise, that kind of shorter, stocky wrestler, he's faced a few of those in his day. And, yeah, I'm in the mindset that that's what we're doing, so we're already beginning our training for that.”
