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Former two division UFC champion Conor McGregor is currently coaching opposite Michael Chandler on the UFC Ultimate Fighter 31.
McGregor hasn’t competed since suffering a left leg injury against former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 and there was a time that McGregor though he would never fight again.
“At the time, I thought, ‘You know, maybe I won’t be able to do this again.’ For sure, that was in my thoughts,” McGregor said on The MMA Hour (transcript via MMA Fighting). “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you’re willing, you’re able. You’ve only got to look at guys like the other ‘Notorious’ in the sport, the only other ‘Notorious’ in the sport is a guy, ‘Notorious’ Nick Newell, with no hand. There’s a way. If you’re with disabilities or something that’s wrong, you can find a way to compete. Look at, there’s another guy, Zion Clark, a wrestling champion — he’s got no lower half of his body. I saw him at the event, he had his MMA debut just recently, won, but I see him walk on his hands. I’m never stopping this. I’m continuing. I would wheel out into that octagon and execute into the open guard if I couldn’t brace on the leg. That was in my thoughts, that was my thoughts.
“So thank God, my surgeons, the doctors, the UFC care that I had, and all the help that I got, I was able to recover from it. And I’ve got the power in the leg, I’ve able to brace on it, I’m able to kick with it. I’m kicking hard, I’m kicking fast. And you best believe I’m looking to take this guy out with the steel bar on my leg, for sure.”
The former two division champion will also be looking for his first win in over three years, with his last victory coming at UFC 246 in January of 2020.
Even though McGregor’s injury could’ve ended his career, McGregor admits that the thrill of competition is one reason he decided to return to action.
“Competition, man. Competition. It’s the best buzz ever,” McGregor said. “Why would you not want to do it? How would you not want to make this walk and experience this whole thing? It’s highly addictive and I’m highly addicted. So that’s it.”
