Former UFC champion Conor McGregor was on hand for the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing fight in Saudi Arabia and spoke with the media on-site about his return to the Octagon.
When asked if he'd be interested in fighting in March on the UFC's first fight card in Saudi Arabia McGregor said, "They can do what they want to. I'm open. March is earlier than April. I've been kept from my living for almost three years now. Understand that. I came through what I came through. I'm sitting on an injury and a loss. Imagine what ... did you hear what Alexander Volkanovski said? I relate."
He's referring to the comments Volkanovski said after his loss to Islam Mahkachev lamenting on not fighting often enough and going to a dark place during inactivity.
"You hear what Alexander Volkanovski said – I relate. I must return to my way of living."
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 28, 2023
Conor McGregor tells @MikeBohn he wants his UFC return ASAP – but expects April.
Full interview: https://t.co/f11yhhMwJd pic.twitter.com/yNUiW2ZLuH
"I must return to my way of living, this is my job," he said. "So it's beyond frustrating and hopefully we can come back."
McGregor has not fought since he suffered a leg break in his loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021.
He is one half of the fight that many mark as the start of the boxing-UFC crossover. McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 which was, at the time, the biggest fight in combat sports history. McGregor would lose that fight via a 10th-round TKO.