McGregor posts training video, targets International Fight Week 2027 for possible final UFC bout

Conor McGregor posted a short training clip on Instagram on Monday, captioning it with a reference to "IFW 2027 The Last Dance" and indicating he is working toward a return at International Fight Week next year, the same event he headlined in 2023.

The Irish fighter suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament early in his bout with Max Holloway at UFC 329, prompting him to announce surgery and a rehabilitation plan. In a later Instagram caption he wrote, "Surgery. Prehab. Return to martial arts practice. Go again. Final fight of the contract."

UFC president Dana White said talks about McGregor's comeback will not begin until the fighter completes surgery and physical therapy. > "The Conor McGregor discussion isn't even worth talking about," White told ESPN. "He's got to have knee surgery, he's going to have to go through physical therapy, it's all going to take time, and then when the doctor says you can start hardcore training again, then we start talking about Conor McGregor again."

McGregor noted that advances in regenerative medicine and training could allow a return by next summer, citing his own nine-month recovery from a similar injury in 2013. He said he is walking without a crutch and has resumed leg-extension work without difficulty.

McGregor has not recorded a win since defeating Donald Cerrone in 2020 and lost his last three fights, including the recent loss to Holloway. The fighter appears focused on ending his UFC contract with a victory, though his knee injury adds uncertainty to that goal.