July of last year saw Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier go head-to-head in their UFC trilogy fight.

With it all on the line, it couldn’t have gone much worse for McGregor, who broke his leg in the first round, resulting in a TKO victory for his opponent, Poirier, who took a 2-1 'lead' in their trilogy.

Now, eight months on, McGregor is giving fans all around the world the impression that he will be back sooner rather than later.

Rumours are already circulating about who his next opponent may be and whether he may head straight for the Championship fight with Charles Oliveira.

Being back in training is huge for McGregor as it genuinely looked like his injury had career-ending potential, however he took to Instagram this week to show his fans and followers that he is back preparing for his next fight, whoever it may be.

He posted a picture on Instagram in boxing gloves, with the following caption:

“No one has a road without bumps – but winning is about a positive attitude and determination and hard work. I am back and only getting better.”

Conor McGregor has returned to training | Credit: Instagram

However, his followers were quick to address the situation with his leg. One fan commented: “The left leg looks a little stiff.” Another one added: “You can still see his leg doesn’t look right. Not natural.”

The comments kept coming: “But your leg is not straight”, “Your ankle still looks bent”, while another fan chose to shine a more optimistic light on McGregor’s return:

“You are not perfect, but you are pretty damn close! Keep it up. Can’t wait to see you do an Aldo on Oliveira. I will be there live to witness.”

McGregor claimed that stress fractures in his leg, caused in the build-up to the fight with Poirier, were the reason his leg snapped, and that he was warned beforehand.

Jul 10, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor before fighting against Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Jul 10, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor before fighting against Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

After an injury as severe as McGregor’s, he was always going to be out of action for a while. Having been on crutches for several months, he is ready to get back in the Octagon and hopes to be back sparring in the coming weeks:

“April I should be back sparring,” he said, “I’ll gauge it all then – I’d like a title, a title. I’d feel a belt.

“We’ll see what happens with the weight. I’m feeling nice and strong. I’m getting there day-by-day. I’m advised to take it easy, but I’m shadow boxing a lot and I’m figuring out what way I’m developing my style.”

There is no doubting that whoever McGregor’s return fight is, it’ll be a huge one. The question is whether or not he can properly recover from such a horrendous leg injury.