UFC president Dana White has said Conor McGregor’s desire to compete is still strong as the Irishman recovers from a broken leg.
McGregor suffered the injury in July, at the end of the first round of his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier, who knocked out the former dual-weight champion in January.
McGregor said last month that he will be healthy enough to return to sparring next spring, with a return to the Octagon likely coming next summer at the earliest.
“He’s chomping at the bit to get back in there and compete again,” White said on The Jim Rome Podcast.
“It’s going to be a while before he can put some torque on that leg. April, for him to start training again in April is probably about right.
“He obviously still has the desire to compete. You don’t ever hear Conor going: ‘You know what, man? I just don’t have the desire for this anymore.’ You know what I mean?
“He’s obviously very rich, and he’s training like Rocky in Rocky III, but he still has the desire to compete and the desire to fight, and we’ll see what happens.”
McGregor has competed in the Octagon four times since 2016, losing on three of those occasions – including his two defeats by Poirier this year.
A number of potential opponents have been linked with the 33-year-old ahead of his expected comeback next year, including former foes Nate Diaz and Max Holloway, as well as new UFC fan favourite Michael Chandler.
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