"It's a bit like Groundhog Day, every interview" - Coach John Kavanagh relieved that Conor McGregor finally has an opponent

Conor McGregor will make his return to the UFC octagon after last fighting at UFC 264 in 2021. The hiatus will end when the former lightweight champion takes on Michael Chandler in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 31.

McGregor and Chandler will coach opposing teams on the upcoming TUF season and face off in the show's finale, which is yet to be finalized.

Conor McGregor's long-time coach John Kavanagh expressed his relief at ending the speculation around the Irishman's future and his next opponent. In an interview with Sherdog's Sean Sheehan, Kavanagh said:

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s definitely a [relief]. It’s a bit like Groundhog Day, every interview. ‘What’s Conor doing next? And who’s gonna…?’ So, to have that out there in the open now and working towards that is relieving.”

Kavanagh also weighed in on his pupil's blockbuster return and the fighter's motivation after an extended layoff due to injury:

“Yeah, he’s never stopped training. He’s in phenomenal shape and there’s a real excitement in him, there’s a real buzz around him. And I’ll be honest, you know what will be the level of motivation when you’ve achieved the titles you’ve achieved, the money etc? But man, I’ve never seen him as pumped as I’ve seen him recently. I’m just really excited. He’s excited to be back. I think it’s great for Irish MMA in general. The motivation is there to show everybody that this is his world, this is his game.”

Check out Kavanagh's full interview below:

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Islam Makhachev reveals the reason behind Conor McGregor fighting Michael Chandler

Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev reacted to Conor McGregor's imminent return to the octagon and his matchup against No.5-ranked lightweight contender Michael Chandler.

Makhachev credited Conor McGregor's acumen and believed that his decision to fight Chandler was based off of who he felt was the easiest opponent. Makhachev named Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Beneil Dariush as potential opponents that McGregor has tried to avoid.

Islam Makhachev said in an interview with former teammate Daniel Cormier:

"McGregor is smart too. He looked at [Michael Chandler] fight and saw, 'This guy's going to try that, he's short and I can beat him,' and chose the small guy... 100%. I know that. He can choose [Justin] Gaethje, [Charles] Oliveira, [Beneil] Dariush or someone."

Check out Makhachev's full interview with 'DC' below: