Conor McGregor drops OUT of UFC lightweight rankings as he plots blockbuster 2023 return after horrific broken leg
CONOR MCGREGOR has dropped OUT of the UFC lightweight rankings ahead of his proposed return to the octagon.
The mixed martial arts superstar has been on the sidelines recovering from the horrific broken leg he suffered in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last July.
The stacked lightweight division has moved on in McGregor’s absence, resulting in his steady fall from his once lofty position in the 155lb rankings.
And following the UFC’s latest rankings update, the promotion’s poster boy now finds himself out of the top-15 entirely.
Last week McGregor, 34, was the No.14 ranked lightweight in the world – with only former interim champ Tony Ferguson below him.
But The Notorious has since been replaced by American Grant Dawson – who defeated Mark Madsen in a catchweight bout last month.
The slide out of the top-15 comes as no surprise given McGregor’s injury-enforced hiatus and his winless run at 155lbs.
Former lightweight king McGregor hasn’t tasted victory in the division in over SIX YEARS – with his sole triumph in the weight class being his emphatic dethroning of Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.
McGregor has gone 0-3 since his masterclass over Alvarez, suffering a submission defeat to bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov and consecutive TKO losses to Poirier.
It’s currently unknown what weight class the Irishman will compete in when he returns next year as he’s undergone a dramatic body transformation during his octagon hiatus.
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A return to welterweight could be on the cards, although there are several entertaining fights available for him at lightweight.
McGregor must first re-enter the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool for a minimum of six months before he can return to action.
He could, however, be granted an exemption by the UFC and USADA and return early next year provided he returns two negative tests.
The Dubliner said last month: “I’m clear for testing in February.
“I will complete my two tests per USADA & we are booking a fight.”
The UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight champ hopes to be back in the cage before the end of the spring.
He recently said: “I’m going to be back soon, hopefully.
“Early 2023 I’m aiming for. Sometime in that first quarter. That will give me a good couple of months [to prepare].
“Once I wrap this [filming Road House] up in a couple of days, get the camp going [for] a good couple of months. And get going.”