Conor McGregor confirms UFC return date after finally revealing injury details

Conor McGregor has confirmed exactly when he will return to the octagon in a statement finally detailing his injuries.

On July 12 former UFC champion McGregor returned to the octagon for the first time in five years for a fight against former foe Max Holloway.

In their first fight back in 2013, the Irishman had his hand raised after securing a decision win despite injuring the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee midway through the fight.

And when the pair clashed once again this year, McGregor appeared to suffer a similar injury as just seconds into the fight he fell to the ground on several occasions before it was waved off with Holloway declared the winner.

Since then, UFC fans have been eager to learn exactly what happened to McGregor and when he may return, with Dana White suggesting that the 38-year-old had again torn his ACL.

But now, McGregor himself has finally spoken out to reveal the details of his injury, confirming that he had suffered the exact same injury as he had in the first fight with Holloway, but this time on his left knee.

Posting on X, he wrote: "Update: It was ACL and meniscus. It is the same injury as the first Holloway fight, only this time the opposite leg. Quite shocking."

Despite the severity of the injury, McGregor, who at the time was 25 years old, was able to return to the octagon not long after, something he is confident he can do once again.

"I returned to competition within 9 months to fight Diego Brandao back then. With today’s regenerative medicine advancements and improved training methods it is well within my realm to return by next summer," he claimed.

"I am walking without a crutch. I done leg extension machine work the other day to no issue. So I can walk without aid, and activate my quad under resistance. All very positive.

"I am maximum discipline and have maintained it fully since the bout."

In the weeks following the fight, McGregor has suggested on several occasions that a win over Holloway could have led to him once again encountering issues with his sobriety, something which he discussed on several occasions in the buildup to the fight.

Once again, he suggested that this would have been the case, adding: "I wonder was I saved from something worse here. I believe so. I would have attended the after party as “the man” and who knows then. I believe I was saved. Thank you God!

"On we go, no sad stories. Thank you for the support and well wishes everyone, your health is your wealth."

Who will Conor McGregor fight next?

A rematch with Holloway is widely expected to be McGregor's next fight, with the American stating that he would be willing to wait for the trilogy fight if McGregor is expected to be back in the near future.

And McGregor, who has just one fight left on his current UFC contract, clearly has his sights set on another rematch with his fellow ex-champion.

"It has to be [Max] Holloway," McGregor wrote on social media when asked who he would like to fight in what could be his final UFC fight.

READ MORE: Dana White brutally responds to Conor McGregor's bold UFC request after Max Holloway defeat

But Holloway has also suggested that another rematch could instead be on the cards for him as he eyes up a lightweight title shot against champion Justin Gaethje as a potential next fight.

"I hope I get the next title shot," Holloway told fans during a livestream.

"If it's not Conor, give your boy a title shot. Me and Justin got history and you know it's going to be a striking war so why not?"

In their last fight, Holloway knocked Gaethje out in the final seconds of the final round in what was perhaps the greatest moment in UFC history at the blockbuster UFC 300 event in April 2024.