Conor McGregor Says He's 'Very Close' to Finalizing His Return to the UFC
Conor McGregor is ready to fight again.
The former two-division UFC champion is still in New York following a plea agreement that was reached last week revolving around his assault on a bus ahead of UFC 223 back in April.
McGregor ultimately pled guilty to disorderly conduct, paid restitution for the damage done to the bus and will undergo anger management courses as well as complete five days of community service as part of his plea deal.
All of that being out of the way means McGregor is finally free and clear to book his next fight with all signs pointing towards a showdown against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov later this year.
"Very close. It's not official but we're close," McGregor told TMZ when asked about his return to action. "I believe so, I hope so [it will be in 2018]. I’m pushing for it."
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There have been several proposed dates for the highly anticipated showdown between McGregor and Nurmagomedov with UFC 229 in Las Vegas on Oct. 6 as the most likely landing spot as of now.
There are also cards in New York in November and another card in Las Vegas at the end of December that could potentially house the showdown between the two top lightweight fighters.
As much as McGregor would like to return to fight again in New York — the site where he captured a second UFC world title back in 2016 — it appears his fight with Nurmagomedov will happen in Las Vegas.
"You know I f--king love New York City. To be able to be here free, a free man, walking around this place, what a city. What a f--king city," McGregor said. "We'll see what happens.
"I'd love to fight in the Garden again but I believe this one will be Las Vegas."
If the fight against Nurmagomedov will be in Las Vegas, that narrows down the window for a date to either October or December.
With UFC 229 only two months away, it would seem that the UFC would have to rush to get a deal done sooner rather than later to promote the card but nothing has been finalized just yet. Either way, McGregor is plotting his comeback and it appears he will be fighting again before the year is up.
