Recently, Conor McGregor has boldly claimed he will be competing for a long, long time yet within UFC ahead of his latest comeback as he revealed his brief stint away from the sport last year was born out of pure frustration. Having spent over a year away from the UFC since his last fight, McGregor called his time a “wild ride.”
“It’s been some ride — I’ve got it done and I’m up here,” McGregor said during his pre-fight press conference.
“Mad as a brush. I’ve been through it all. It’s been a wild ride for me. It’s not been easy at times. What a life and I tell you, I wouldn’t want it to be any other way. I’m very excited to be back here. I’m very excited to have fans in here. I feel invigorated. I’m going to paint a beautiful picture inside this Octagon on Saturday night and I’m very excited to do so,” he added.
McGregor announced his retirement for the third time in four years in 2020 but is now back in business again as he prepares for his return at UFC 257 in a rematch against Dustin Poirier this weekend.
McGregor has explained that he felt completely “shelved” by UFC before stepping away from the sport again last year and claiming he was becoming bored by the lack of exciting opponents available to him.
Conor McGregor said, “It was certainly born out of frustration but it is what it is, the past is the past. We are in a great spot now. I feel like I’ve got what I needed to get off my chest and I feel it’s been reciprocated well and the other side has come back as well”.
He also added, “I am in a great spot and I am excited to come back as well. We’re focusing on the positive side of it and we’re focusing on the future”.
It’s a potential rematch in the future with long-time rival Khabib Nurmagomedov that is dominating talk of McGregor’s comeback. Conor McGregor believes he would destroy Khabib if they were to meet again after the Irishman suffered a fourth-round submission defeat to the reigning lightweight champion two years ago in the headline bout of UFC 229.
“I think he’s afraid to fight me. That’s for damn sure. And I don’t blame him. I know exactly what to face.
“I fought the best of him that night, he fought the worst of me on that night. He knows it, I know it, his team knows it. I’ve got the answer to destroy that man. He can pull the wool over people’s eyes for only so long,” said McGregor.