Conor McGregor is still the biggest PPV draw in the UFC and no other fighters look likely to witness that sort of stardom anytime soon. His potential return to the company is still touted as the most-anticipated return in MMA history.
‘Notorious’ has already vowed to announce his return officially on January 1, 2024, citing a big success for the UFC in the upcoming year. However, not everyone is ready to admire McGregor’s current status as a PPV superstar. One such personality is Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen pinpointed how UFC could successfully host events despite Conor McGregor’s absence, Hence, ‘The American Gangster’ didn’t seem ready to buy McGregor’s top-tuer stardom in the promotion.
Reflecting on his views, Chael Sonnen said, “Does the UFC need Conor McGregor? That is where the reality starts to be a little bit cold. There can be two truths that seem polar opposites that are accurate at the same time. For example, the UFC need Conor McGregor, no. Chael, How did you get to that?”
“Well, they haven’t had Conor a meaningful period of time. In fact, I can’t remember where but I think it was two years. They sold out event after event after event. But it’s also true to understand red panty night is real.”
“Conor McGregor is the biggest star and whether you’re selling out or not, there’s different level of box office that you can sell out talking about who your bigger draw is, oh, by the way, you’ve also got to pay per view portion of which they list the top 10 records and all 10 belong Conor McGregor. That’s also true.”
When Can Conor McGregor Return To Fighting?
Dana White has announced the headliners up until UFC 299, in March. So, McGregor can only return after that. UFC 300 in April is expected to be a massive event . Now, ‘Notorious’ has cited his intentions of making a comeback at UFC 300.
Dana White, however, hasn’t reflected similar emotions. Meanwhile, McGregor’s coach John Kavanaugh has claimed that they are looking at July to set the suitable return. So, it’s s till too early to predict when Conor McGregor would enter the UFC octagon again. But it is extremely likely that we see him fight in 2024.
