Conor McGregor's future is the talk of the combat sports world and fans are eagerly anticipating the announcement of the Irishman's next bout.
McGregor's last Octagon appearance came in November of 2016 when he defeated Eddie Alvarez via second round knockout to capture the UFC lightweight championship.
He became the first dual-weight champion in UFC history as a result, as he held the 145-pound title at that time as well but was subsequently stripped of it soon after the win.
Several months later McGregor signed up for a huge exhibition boxing bout against all consensus greatest of all time Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Unfortunately for McGregor he suffered a 10th round TKO loss to "Money" but made $100 million in the process.
Now that his tenure in the boxing world is over and an interim lightweight champion has been crowned the fight world would love to see McGregor return for a unification bout with Tony Ferguson.
Recently McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh did an interview with BBC Northern Ireland to discuss his star pupil's future. Kavanagh revealed it will be McGregor who makes the decision of who he'll fight next (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“Conor’s still the champion. They can say what they want – I have his belt at home, actually,” Kavanagh said.
“He’s still the champion. He’s making the decision on what makes sense for the next move. It’s kind of early days yet.
"We’re just watching how that has developed while he’s been away; he’s had other going things on. Let’s see what happens in 2018. I’m excited about it, anyway.
“I’m happy to see him back just regular training,” Kavanagh said.
“He had a lot going on in his life, a lot of stuff outside of fighting was going on in his life. He seems to be getting the hang of all that. He’s back training almost everyday now.
“I think 2018 will be another big year for us,” Kavanagh said. “Exactly what that is, I don’t know yet.
"The plan is forming, but as they say, stay tuned. … My opinion, I’ll be pushing very hard for MMA. The boxing was a nice detour from what we’ve done, but mixed martial arts is my passion.
"If I have anything to do with it, he’ll be in the octagon this year.”
What are your thoughts on Kavanagh saying that McGregor will make the decision on his next fight? Who do you think McGregor will be facing when he returns to the Octagon? Is there any chance that "The Notorious One" returns to the boxing ring for his next fight? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!
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