‘I’m feeling crazy confident’ – UFC star Conor McGregor reveals he will return to action in ‘multiple’ fights next year
CONOR MCGREGOR is brimming with confidence as he plots his return to the octagon – so much so that he wants to fight “multiple” times next year.
The Notorious is in the final stages of recovering from the horrific broken leg he suffered in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last July.
McGregor, 34, is using his recovery period to act in the upcoming Road House remake, which has given him plenty of time to plot his eagerly-anticipated return to the cage.
The UFC‘s poster boy tweeted: “I’m feeling crazy confident. Calm. Detached from emotion.
“Aware of what I must do and making it happen. Visualising. I see it all. Clear.
“This movie wraps, I’m back. I’ll have multiple fights completed by the time this movie even releases.”
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McGregor is unable to return to action until April at the earliest after leaving the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s drug testing pool.
USADA rules stipulate fighters who retire or remove themselves from the pool are required to be enrolled for a minimum of six months before they return.
When asked if the Irishman would have to be in the testing pool for six months before returning, UFC president Dana White said: “Yeah [he’ll have to be in it for six months.]”
USADA could grant McGregor an exemption to the six-month written notice rule due to “exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to the athlete.”
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McGregor, however, would have to provide two negative drug tests in order for the six-month testing period to be waived.
USADA granted former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar an exemption to a then four-month testing pool requirement in 2016 in order to allow him to compete at UFC 200.
It ultimately backfired as Lesnar failed his post-fight drug test, which discovered traces of the banned anti-estrogen agents Clomiphene and Letrozole.
The Dubliner was expected to return to action in the autumn but recently revealed his kicking is not quite 100 per cent.
When asked about McGregor’s role in Road House, manager Tim Simpson said: “Acting wasn’t something I think Conor had at the very front of his mind, right now he’s still a world-class athlete and his focus is being the best fighter in the world.
“But as the injury continues to heal and he continues to prepare for a comeback, the timing worked well.
“It’s a great opportunity to do a big Hollywood blockbuster in meantime and he’s going to kill it.
“He’s still on track for a big return next year, but this fits in perfectly in the meantime.
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“The leg is still healing, I think there’s a little bit more to go on that but he’s been training like a madman. Twice a day, every day.
“He’s been training super hard, he’s in amazing shape, it’s just the final adjustments to get that leg where it’s supposed to be.