Conor McGregor is one of the most famous sports personalities in the world, especially in the world of combat sports/fighting sports/mixed martial arts.
The question being asked here about the Irish mixed martial artist, better known as ‘Notorious,’ is, ‘Is Conor McGregor closer than ever to a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)?’ Let’s dive straight in to find out.
Is Conor McGregor close to fighting in the UFC again?
According to reports, Conor McGregor will, at some point, make a return to the UFC, but it’s not likely to be in 2023. If he makes a comeback, it could be in 2024.
UFC CEO Dana White recently announced the remaining 2023 UFC fights, and McGregor’s name was not on the list. Some expected that he would return to the Octagon before this year’s end, but he missed his short opportunity to re-enroll in the USADA drug testing pool in July.
His last competitive UFC fight was in July 2021, when he lost in the fifth minute of round 1 against Dustin Poirier by KO/TKO. In the fight before this in January 2021, which was also against Poirier, he lost by KO/TKO (punches) in 2:32 of the second round.
He appears to have recovered from his leg injury and is back in the gym training again, so it shouldn’t be too long before we see McGregor fighting in the UFC again.
Is it possible to bet on any UFC fights still to come in 2023?
Yes. If you head to the official Unibet online bookmaker, you will find some of the iGaming industry’s most competitive UFC odds. When you visit the website, search for betting MMA on Unibet. You can also have access to live streaming on external platforms of that operator such as Unibet TV in Poland. We really recommend it, especially while placing live bets.
To place a wager on any of the upcoming UFC fights from a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer, you must be at least 18 years old. Let’s take a quick look at several upcoming fights scheduled for October 2023, along with the latest odds and implied probability rates.
- Ashley Yoder (1) vs. Emily Ducote (2) – Ducote is the odds-on favourite to win at 1.33 in decimal odds (which is 33/100 in fractional odds or -303 in American/moneyline odds), with a 75.20% implied probability rate (IPR). Yoder is priced at 3.30 (23/10, or +230), with a 30.30% IPR
- Darren Elkins (1) vs. TJ Brown (2) – Brown is the odds-on favourite to win at 1.52 (13/25, or -195 in American/moneyline odds), with a 65.80% IPR. Elkins is priced at 2.55 (23/10, or +230), with a 39.20% IPR
- Irina Alekseeva (1) vs Melissa Dixon (20) – Dixon is the odds-on favourite to win at 1.70 (7/10, or -143 in American/moneyline odds), with a 58.80% IPR. Alekseeva is priced at 2.15 (23/20, or +115), with a 46.50% IPR
Two other fights you can look forward to on the same night are Edgar Chairez against Daniel Lacerda, and Tainara Lisboa against Ravena Oliveira. The following night, October 15th, you have Christian Rodriguez against Cameron Saaiman, Jonathon Martinez against Adrian Yanez, Jennifer Maia against Vivian Araujo, and Sodiq Yusuff against Edson Barboza.
Final note
Conor McGregor is one of the world’s wealthiest sports stars and has made a stack of money through shrewd sponsorship deals and other savvy business ventures. However, he can still earn huge paydays by stepping back into the Octagon for a few more fights before finally hanging up his gloves for good.
Whoever he fights next, which could be Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, or Nate Diaz, he will have to win; otherwise, his comeback could be over before it ever really got a chance to begin. We will just have to wait and see what the UFC still has lined up for the ‘Notorious.’