‘The Notorious’ hasn’t set foot inside the cage since his historic UFC 205 victory over Eddie Alvarez, a triumph which saw him become the first fighter in the promotion’s history to hold two titles simultaneously.
The birth of his first child, Conor Jr, and a multi-million-pound boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr are the main factors for McGregor’s hiatus from the mixed martial arts, which began in November 2016.
Earlier this month, McGregor hinted that his time away from the cage could be extended if the UFC brass don’t give him a new deal which reflects his value to the company.
“My focus is getting back into the right ring or Octagon,” he told Betsafe. “2017 was historic. I have transcended both the sport of MMA and boxing.
“At this stage of my career, as it has been for the majority of my UFC career, potential opponents must lobby for fights with me.
“We could see Conor McGregor anywhere. I run the fight game, the fashion game, the whiskey game, or whatever the next business endeavour might be.”
McGregor’s comments prompted fears that he could pursue another money-spinning boxing match.
However, one of his recent Instagram posts has seemingly allayed those fears.
On Friday night, McGregor posted a picture of himself honing his jiu-jitsu with Paulo Miyao.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I think a true fight is what I want to do next. A real fight, what’s a real fight? MMA next.”
McGregor’s first fight back in the UFC is expected to be a lightweight title unification fight against interim 155lbs champion Tony Ferguson.