Conor McGregor vs Khabib: Return fight date planned for Irishman shelving UFC retirement talk

There are two possible dates for McGregor's return to the Octagon in 2019

Conor McGregor’s coach has shed some light on when the Irishman plans to make his return to the Octagon, after losing his most recent fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor suffered a humiliating defeat at UFC 229 over the weekend, taken to the ground by a dominant Nurmagomedov in the first two rounds of their lightweight title fight, before tapping out in the fourth.

It was McGregor’s first fight in the UFC in almost two years, after he had taken time out of mixed martial arts to meet Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match, which he duly lost.

McGregor’s poor performance on his return to the Octagon has led to speculation that he could retire from MMA, although in a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast his coach, John Kavanagh, said that the team already have a date in mind for a return to action.

“It’s funny I was looking at March 16 [as the next fight] as Paddy’s day is March 17,” Kavanagh said.

“That’s a Sunday and March 16 is a Saturday so imagine Madison Square Garden on the Saturday night before St Patrick’s Day. That would be insane.”

And yet Kavanagh conceded that – as popular as a St Patrick’s Day bout would undoubtedly prove – a return next summer would be more likely.

“I think summer is probably realistic,” he added

“We have to obviously see what punishment Khabib gets.

“Hopefully it’s not a long ban.”

McGregor was dominated by Khabib (Getty) (Getty Images)

Who McGregor actually fights upon his return remains to be seen. The Irishman has already indicated that he wants a rematch with Nurmagomedov, but he could be forced to wait if the Russian instead meets long-term rival Tony Ferguson.