Don’t expect to see Conor McGregor before August 2017.
Initially it was believed that ‘The Notorious’ would be taking around six months off after he announced that he didn’t want to accept a fight during his girlfriend’s pregnancy.
After claiming the UFC lightweight title with a stunning victory over Eddie Alvarez last month, McGregor finally spoke about his much discussed big announcement.
The Irishman revealed that his firstborn was on the way in May 2017, leading many fight fans to believe that he’d be available to fight on the annual July 4th event, which seldom actually takes place on Independence Day but is always one of the biggest cards of the year.
“He won’t fight before May,” was the initial message from UFC president Dana White during an interview with the LA Times. “His girl gets super stressed out when he fights. He doesn’t want her having any of that stress while she’s pregnant.”
The time-frame would have been perfect. McGregor would have sit out to be there for the birth of his first child in May and shortly after could have re-entered training camp.
But White has since extended that timeline, adding three months, as he suggested that we won’t be seeing the biggest draw in mixed martial arts history until August at the earliest.
“Conor’s taking another 10 months for paternity,” White said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.
Said in passing, it was interesting to note the lengthier time-frame announced by the UFC boss which would mean McGregor will not step foot in the Octagon until August when there is a UFC pay-per-view scheduled.
McGregor was adamant that he did not want to juggle the strain of an impending bout with the time commitments required with his partner’s pregnancy.
“I don’t want to be bringing a child into nothing like this,” McGregor said after his UFC 205 victory. “So I’m just going to have this baby, take a little bit of time and see what way I feel after that.”
Nothing’s set in stone yet but there is a UFC pay-per-view slated for August 5 in Anaheim, California. Whether or not ‘The Notorious’ feels ready in time for that event will not be known for some time.
But if we were betting men, this one would make sense for the return of a fighter whose relationship with the Nevada State Athletic Commission has hit unsteady waters in recent months.
He seems to be in far better graces with the California State Athletic Commission, who were kind enough to grant him a boxing licence only last week.
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