Conor McGregor’s trainer reveals fight he wants for UFC return as Notorious ramps up training for summer showdown

CONOR McGREGOR’s trainer John Kavanagh has up to four names for the Irishman to fight in his UFC comeback.

McGregor is poised for a big return to the UFC this year after being sidelined for all of 2022.

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But motivating the multimillionaire to return to training camp is among Kavanagh’s top priorities.

He said on The MMA Hour: “What’s important to me is let’s say I’m seeing Conor this week and we’re talking and he’s saying a few names and I see one name in particular is eye-opening, especially his pace in the living room up and down and shows me what he will and won’t do.

“That would be absolutely the most important thing for me, that it’s a name that will inspire him.

“Because for Conor, when he’s training for this next fight, he definitely needs to find something that will give him massive motivation to get him out of the silk pants and into the sweaty gym.

“What will it be? A few million more? Will that really motivate him? I do not think so.

“He has a couple of championship belts. Is that it? I do not think so. So I think it’s going to be more of a specific opponent, a specific skill level and how it stacks up against them.”

McGregor, 34, has not fought since July 2021 when he broke his leg in the first round of his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier, 34.

The messy ending has seen both men open the door to a sensational fourth fight against each other, both owning KO wins.

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Michael Chandler, 36, has also emerged as a front-runner in the fight against McGregor due to his electric and exciting style.

Old rival Nate Diaz, 37, who despite being out of the UFC will always be an option for a trilogy decider where the pair is one at a time.

Even Justin Gaethje, 34, has ditched his name after years of back-and-forth with McGregor.

But Kavanagh said: “You have the amazing Nate Diaz who’s obviously in there.

“Justin Gaethje would be a very interesting matchup, someone he has never fought. The Poirier fight, we’ve done that so many times at this stage and it’s just weird.

“Michael Chandler, a great fighter, a great athlete. You are all brilliant. They will all bring something different to the competition.

“What I would be looking for would be the one name that gets Conor moving. Lifts him off his stool, makes him move and gets him excited.

“Some of the names I’ve heard from him are like ‘Oh yeah I would fight him,’ but seeing that level of disinterest I’d be nervous that that’s not going to get him through 12 weeks in a lot being in a difficult environment where training is fun and easy when it’s an exciting name.”

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