Speculations about Conor McGregor, regarding his return, if it will even happen, don’t seem to take a backseat. And why won’t people talk about it? He’s arguably the biggest thing ever produced in a sport where competitors fight inside a cage. Recently a new development has taken shape where McGregor seems ready to get back into the Octagon while an insider believes that we might have the timeline for the Irishman’s eventual clash against Michael Chandler.

Recently, UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen took a keen interest in Michael Chandler, who claimed that a title shot is available for the taking following the bust that was his UFC 303 fight against Conor McGregor. The former 3-time title challenger ideated the end of ‘The Notorious’ if Islam Makhachev defends his title against ‘Iron’, which he believes is a huge possibility. However, McGregor isn’t done yet as he’s yearning to return as soon as he possibly can.

Conor McGregor reacts to sparring partner’s update about him

If you haven’t already noticed Conor McGregor’s social media handles, he’s been sharing a few new sparring footages after he announced his toe injury, hinting that he’s indeed training to fight again. One of those sparring partners who joined him in training recently, Brendan Loughnane, caught up with Ariel Helwani on ‘The MMA Hour’, where he had some very positive news for the fans who want to see the Irishman back in action.

“Of course, he wants to fight. This all he [wants]. Money doesn’t matter to Conor. Conor is an out-and-out scrapper. Conor just wants to fight,” Brendan Loughnane stated while also mentioning that Conor McGregor wants to prove that he’s still got it. “I was in the training room with him, training every day, fighting each other. This guy is hungry for it.”

These comments from Brendan Loughnane were posted on Instagram and guess who came across it to share a response? It was Conor McGregor, who appeared to give his stamp of approval on the statements his sparring partner made and commented, “REAL RECOGNISE REAL!”

This response didn’t fail to generate a lot of excitement, which is nothing new when it comes to the flamboyant multi-millionaire fighter. Meanwhile, the insider that we mentioned earlier, who claimed to have an idea about the timeline for the former dual-weight simultaneous champion’s return, is none other than Ariel Helwani. Let’s see what the Montreal native had to say.

Probably not at the Sphere, claims Ariel Helwani

The UFC 306 PPV, which will take place inside the $2.3 billion Sphere structure, has garnered the interest of a lot of UFC fighters, and everyone, including Conor McGregor, wants a spot on that card. However, there’s more of a chance that Dana White puts a title fight on the headlining act and not just a normal 5-round contest. Ariel Helwani, on ‘The MMA Hour’ stated, “The way the wind is blowing at this juncture seems to be December… Like I said, O’Malley-Merab, Ilia-Max, it’s either one is Sphere, one is Utah [UFC 307].”

If you’re wondering the reason why Dana White may not accommodate Conor McGregor on the Sphere card, well, that’s because the promotion has already pumped in a lot of money for the PPV – more than $17 million. And as far as ‘The Notorious’ is concerned, he certainly won’t come cheap. “There’s no chance Conor-Chandler will be at the Sphere. It’s too expensive. The event is too expensive and Conor commands too much money,” Ariel Helwani added.

Speculations and rumors are all fine but until Dana White gives the fans the official word, we still don’t know and can’t say anything about Conor McGregor and his UFC future. Nevertheless, what do you think about these rumors? Is December the date of his impending return?