Conor McGregor was scheduled to return to the UFC against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 but was forced to withdraw with a broken toe.
McGregor showed off his badly damaged foot on social media and said he is eager to return to the cage.
While some have been skeptical about McGregor's fighting future, UFC commentator Jon Anik chimed in with his belief that the former two-division champion will return in 2024 and that he has "super ambitious" hopes for what McGregor will do.
Anik shared his belief that McGregor will fight twice in eight months upon his return.
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“I’ve been waxing optimistic on Conor for a long time,” Anik said on the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame red carpet, via
. “I fully expect him to compete in 2024, to come back at a high level. Fight twice in eight months. I know it sounds ridiculous and super ambitious to some people, but I just know the mixed martial arts athlete is in there, and I just remain hopeful that he’s going to come back and make more of an impact than anyone expects that he will.”
This would be great news for fans who have been excited to see McGregor return to action, and big news for the UFC that would love to have its cash cow back.
The UFC 303 pay-per-view bout was set to be McGregor's first octagon appearance since July 10, 2021. The bout ended with McGregor suffering a gruesome leg fracture after a kick from Dustin Poirier.
Chandler, meanwhile, has not fought since November 2022, when he suffered a submission loss to Poirier.