Conor McGregor hasn’t graced the octagon in the past three years. Ever since breaking his leg clean in two at UFC 264, the Irishman has been out of action, robbing fans of his electric stage presence and unprecedented knack for showmanship. Finally, the prodigal son was set to return earlier this year on the UFC 303 International Fight Week fight card.

Only for it to be scuttled due to another injury- a broken pinky toe. The MMA world, of course, widely and roundly mocked the Irishman for pulling out over such a ‘minor’ injury. However, sports medicine expert Dr. Brian Suterrer feels that McGregor was justified in pulling out of the scheduled event.

“No [I am not surprised he withdrew from UFC 303] just because of the time point he is in his career. I mean I think he is at a stage where his next fight is extremely important. And so I can absolutely understand him not wanting to go into the fight somewhat compromised. To me, yeah, it’s a pinky toe but… it’s gonna hurt,” Dr Suterrer told Ariel Helwani on his show.

And if your foot hurts to where… you cannot perform at a high level, [and] nobody cares about your fractured pinky toe if you end up losing that fight, I 100% understand. I think it was justified,” he added.

As the doctor pointed out, Conor McGregor is at a decisive point in his career. Coming back after three years and with his career already on a steep downward slope, ‘Mac’ failing to perform in his next fight could very well mean him being written off entirely by the fans. And with the stakes this high, Dr. Suterrer feels the Dubliner cannot be faulted for pulling out of UFC 303. Amid all this talk of ‘Mac’s comeback, there is one very crucial question on everyone’s minds- when will he fight next?

Who will Conor McGregor fight on comeback?

Conor McGregor was set to face Michael Chandler in his much-awaited return to the octagon. Until a couple of months ago, that is, when even Chandler seemingly gave up on the Irishman and accepted a rematch against Charles Oliveira. And while ‘Iron’ has claimed that he will still be McGregor’s comeback opponent, even if the Irishman is not his next opponent. However, to the surprise of absolutely no one, a few other names are doing the rounds.

‘Mac’, of course, himself floated the name of #6 ranked Dan Hooker for a possible Saudi Arabia clash in February next year. And since UFC CEO Dana White has said he ‘likes’ that matchup, there is a chance ‘Mac’ fights ‘Hangman’ on his upcoming comeback. On the other hand, there is also a wild card in the form of Dustin Poirier waiting in the wings. ‘Diamond’, who has fought ‘Mac’ thrice already, is approaching the end of his career, with his next fight rumored to be his last. And what better way for one of the all-time lightweight greats to go out than with a bang against his most famous rival, with whom he still has bad blood?

Or maybe, McGregor could scrap against the dominant 145lbs champion, Ilia Topuria. The duo have been engaging in back and forth on social media for months now and seem to have a genuine dislike for one another. Moreover, the Dubliner even expressed his interest in competing against ‘El Matador’ in a super fight.

What do you think about Dr Sutterer’s take on Conor McGregor withdrawing from UFC 303? Will we see McGregor returning soon? Let us know in the comment section below!