Conor McGregor, the biggest superstar by far in mixed martial arts history, has been out of action for the past three years. Having broken his leg in his last fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, ‘Notorious’ has been remarkably inactive in recent times, having fought four times since 2018.

And to make matters worse, of these four, the Irishman has lost all but one of them. This is why many had doubts about whether the former two-division champ even has what it takes to hang with the top guys in the division anymore.

But fans were apparently as pumped as ever for his return at UFC 303, where he was scheduled to take on Michael Chandler, making the event the highest-grossing gate event in UFC history. However, ‘Mac’ injured his pinky toe weeks away from the bout, and was forced to pull out. Since then, however, he seems to have recovered well and is back to training. After all, the Irishman uploaded a picture of him in the midst of an intense training session, where he could be seen throwing a flying kick.

UFC 303, of course, was the first time the bombastic Dubliner has withdrawn from a booked fight, even fighting injured at times, than pull out, as he did against Chad Mendes almost a decade ago. But he has clarified that he doesn’t want to take any chances and is determined to be at 100% when he returns.

And fans were delighted to see the Irishman get back to training, even as Michael Chandler continues to wait for their super-fight, as he has done since their contentious ‘The Ultimate Fighter 31’ stint last year. But the fans are hopeful these pictures mean the Irishman will be back soon.

Fans react to Conor McGregor’s training picture

One fan felt that McGregor looked fit enough to be back in action: “He look ready to me.” Another fan felt that since McGregor’s acrobatics were evidence his toe had healed, asking when his next fight would be: “Toe looks good. When you fighting.”

Another advised the Irishman to be wary he doesn’t break his toe again amidst his undoubtedly intense training sessions: “Careful on that pinky toe conor.” Another was hopeful that ‘Mac’s (previously) broken toe looked good enough for him to make his comeback on UFC 306 at the Sphere in September: “So the toes all good for the sphere??”

Another, eagerly awaiting ‘Mac’s comeback, simply told McGregor to be back in action soon: “Get back in the octagon Conor.” One fan felt he had seen enough and declared that the former champ was ready for his comeback: “He’s so back!”

Another fan was sure that despite his recent performances, and the long period of inactivity, the Irishman will not only be back, but better than ever: “The king is coming back ufc not to fight but to TAKE OVER.” One fan sarcastically observed that the picture was clearly not the real ‘Mac’ and some sort of manipulation was at play: “Clearly photoshopped or AI generated.” What are your thoughts on the topic?