It appears Conor McGregor’s return will be later than expected.
The newly crowned two-division champion had one of the most impressive victories of his career at UFC 205. It was a historic night for both McGregor and the UFC. Leading into fight week, McGregor announced that he had some big news to drop after the fight.
McGregor to have McBaby
One of the headlines was that he was going to be a father; his baby due around May of 2017. This prompted fans to speculate about McGregor’s return; would he try to fight before the birth? Who would he fight? I even published my own speculation, highlighting UFC 209 as an optimal return.
LA Times sat down with Dana White and got some answers out of him. According to White, Conor McGregor’s return will not happen before May.
“His girl gets super stressed out when he fights. He doesn’t want her having any of that stress while she’s pregnant,” White says. “He’s good. He should take time off. He’s been fighting nonstop. Nothing wrong with him taking time off. It’s good for him and her and it’s good for the baby.”
While I’m sure fans will be upset to know McGregor won’t be fighting for the next 6 months, it’s for the best. McGregor is looking out for girlfriend Dee Devlin, and his McBaby. Besides, a lot needs to be sorted out in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. That way, clear contenders can be made for Conor McGregor’s return.
Featherweight
Many speculate McGregor will abandon the 145 lb division as he has yet to defend the belt. Right now, Aldo sits as the interim title holder. Unfortunately, Aldo has been toying with the idea of retirement since it doesn’t appear a rematch between him and McGregor will happen. Additionally, surging contender Max Holloway has racked up 9 straight victories. He faces off against former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis at UFC 206. The winner of this fight is also worthy of fighting for the title. With McGregor taking the next 6 months off, I have to imagine he will be stripped of his featherweight belt. Jose Aldo and the winner of Holloway/Pettis can fight for the title in the meantime.
Lightweight
McGregor just recently became the lightweight champion, so it’s perfectly acceptable if he doesn’t defend the title right away. After all, this seems to be a popular route many champions take. When a fighter becomes the champion, he/she typically wants to take some time off to relish in it and let their name grow. Nevertheless, there are two fighters neck-and-neck for title contention – Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
Nurmagomedov recently defeated Michael Johnson at UFC 205, is 8-0 in the UFC, and 24-0 overall. Meanwhile, Tony Ferguson is on a 9-fight winning streak, 12-1 in the UFC, and most recently defeated former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos. Both fighters hold impressive merit and deserve the next crack at McGregor’s lightweight belt. However, with McGregor taking a short hiatus, I expect a match up between these two to take place. The UFC is rumored to be heading to Russia next year. I can see Khabib Nurmagomedov headlining a Fight Night as he takes on Tony Ferguson; winner gets McGregor.
Timeline for Conor McGregor’s return
March 18th, 2017 is the furthest out date that is announced for a UFC event. Based on recent patterns, PPV events have been occuring every 3-5 weeks. However, I expect the UFC will lean more toward the four or five week increments than the three. This is due to the expected increase of Fox cards.
We know UFC 210 is scheduled for March 4th and is likely to be a big event. It’s the UFC’s return to Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena, and a Fight Night will be taking place the night before. After that, it’s unclear when and where the following PPVs will be. But we can look a little into the future.
Based on the theory that PPVs are 3-5 weeks apart from one another, it’s likely that UFC 214 or 215 will be Conor McGregor’s return. However, we must also take into consideration the standard 9-week training camp. McGregor wants time off in anticipation of his newborn, and obviously will want time off after McBaby is brought into the world. This may push Conor McGregor’s return back even further. Late June or early July possibly.
