When Will Conor McGregor Actually Fight Again? Manager: 'It's Likely Going To Be 2024'

Are we ever going to see Conor McGregor fight again?

That's what some mixed martial arts fans are wondering as new reports claim that McGregor isn't likely to fight this year. It doesn't help when his manager even hinted at it as well.

“You can’t rule out the end of the year, but I think just in terms of where we are right now in terms of the date, it’s likely going to be 2024,” McGregor's manager Audie Attar told MMA Junkie this past week. He then appeared to blame McGregor's delay on the UFC by following up with, "I think that’s what the UFC has their sights set on so, we’ll see kind of exactly when that will be."

The issue stems around the fact that McGregor apparently hasn't been a part of USADA's drug testing pool this year. According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's rules, a fighter has to be in the program and tested for at least six months prior to being considered eligible to fight in the UFC. I'm not a genius (shocking!) but I do know that it's July and six months brings us to at least January of 2024.

Oh, and that's ONLY IF McGregor even takes the initiative to register with USADA - something he hasn't done as of July 13, according to USADA's official website. (The UFC could give Conor an exemption however there's been no indication they will)

MCGREGOR HASN'T FOUGHT SINCE 2021

There's no doubt that Conor McGregor is an international superstar and has changed the entire MMA industry. From his "IDGAF attitude" to being a multiple title holder, Conor has been able to deliver both inside and outside the octagon, including still holding the record for most pay-per-view buys in MMA history.

McGregor used to be everywhere at one point, almost similar to how John Cena and The Rock transformed into a pop culture starts after leaving the WWE. And oh yeah, Conor's worth a TON of money. Last year Forbes estimated that McGregor's net worth is over $600 million.

But many are wondering if that has gotten the best of him. And his outside incidents and very serious allegations against him don't help his cause either.

McGregor hasn't fought inside the UFC octagon since July of 2021 when he lost for the second time in a row to Dustin Poirier. His last victory was in January of 2020 - before Covid! I don't know about you but 2020 seems like a lifetime ago, and unfortunately for McGregor, his fans are increasingly becoming frustrated with his lack of focus.

For one thing, Conor's diehard supporters know that he isn't getting any younger after he recently celebrated his 35th birthday a few weeks ago. When you include that with his manager's comments about a potential 2024 fight, him not even maybe being a part of USADA, and that he hasn't won in years... many are wondering if we really have seen the end of Conor McGregor. Or at least the Conor that fight fans once knew.

At one point Conor McGregor was one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

MCGREGOR IS FRUSTRATING HIS FANS

What's wild is that earlier this year I wrote an article about Conor apparently being back after UFC President Dana White said that Conor and Michael Chandler were expected to fight sometime this year. Instead, there's been no movement towards the fight happening although both fighters are currently coaches on ESPN's The Ultimate Fighter reality show.

To be fair, McGregor's manager responded to McGregor's USADA speculation by saying that fans have no idea what they're talking about.

“One of the things everybody forgets is that Conor was one of the most tested athletes when he was competing, and we’re going about things the right way,” Attar continued during his MMA Junkie interview. “We’re in active discussions with the UFC, we’ve spoken to USADA, and we’re going to do things the right way.”

“The thing about Conor McGregor is, people will speculate and stories run wild that are nine times out of 10 very inaccurate and false, so that’s all I’ll say about that."

McGregor's team says they are working with Dana White on figuring out a timeline to return to fighting. (Credit: Getty Images)

That may very well be true, but the fact of the matter is nobody even knows what's real or not about Conor. As much as his fans adore him, he has talked so much throughout the years that you can't really trust anything he or his team are saying. I'm not sure his own manager truly knows what the deal is.

The problem with Conor however lies with the fact that there's only so much and so long that his fans can continue to stick by him. They need to see him fight, and they need to see him win. Otherwise it's just the same old shtick - "Conor being Conor."

That worked for a while but in today's minute-by-minute, social media driven world, no one has an attention span anymore. And they can turn on you in a second. And when you consider that much of the negativity about Conor has come from his own doing, the thing his supporters were always able to point to however was his fighting skills.

Something that they most likely didn't get for an entire year again.