After considerable time out, Conor McGregor is all set to make his highly anticipated return to the brutal world of UFC this weekend.

Yet, it is a brutal world he loves and feels right at home in after he became its poster boy in his rise to stardom, propelling the once forgotten sport back into the limelight.

Defeating opponents such as Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez made him the sport’s most influential and feared character; that was until his rival match with Khabib Nurmagomedov in which he lost in round four.

The encounter turned sour and resulted in bans for both fighters. Consequently, the Irishman hasn’t been in action since.

However, the turn of the new decade has prompted his timely return amid the superstar’s route of redemption: McGregor, despite not fighting in the Octagon, couldn’t keep himself out of the media and was involved in a string of controversial incidents that has since tainted his world-renowned name.

The road to redemption starts with the Hall of Fame bound Donald Cerrone on January 18.

For the most part of his illustrious career, McGregor fought at featherweight and lightweight, but he takes his comeback fight in the welterweight division.

In his first fight at welterweight, McGregor’s run of 15 straight wins came to an end at the hands, knees and feet of Diaz. McGregor went on to beat the American in the rematch, however.

He hasn’t fought at the heavier weight division since, which may have given some supporters some cause for concern. However, the president of the UFC Dana White has claimed that Conor is no short in confidence in regards to his physical state.

He said: “I haven’t seen him face-to-face yet, but we’ve been texting and he says he is in phenomenal shape.”

He shouldn’t, though, just take McGregor’s word for it. He went on to claim that the UFC doctor revealed to him that the fighter is in the best shape he has ever seen him in.

“The UFC doctor has actually said that he thinks Conor is in the best shape he’s ever seen him in. His head is in the right place, ring rust is real, I believe in it. We will see how it goes,” concluded White.

It remains to be seen if this confidence is just another one of McGregor’s stunts and way of intimidating his opponent, but we are sure to find out at the end of this week in a bout White has labelled as the battle of the Hall of Famers.