retirement<\/a> from mixed martial arts, citing a disinterest in the state of the sport.<\/p>\n\u201cThe game just does not excite me, and that\u2019s that,” McGregor told ESPN not long after he announced his retirement on Twitter. “All this waiting around. There\u2019s nothing happening. I\u2019m going through opponent options, and there\u2019s nothing really there at the minute. There\u2019s nothing that\u2019s exciting me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just not excited about the game,” he added. “I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s no crowd. I don\u2019t know what it is. There\u2019s just no buzz for me.”<\/p>\n
Luckily for McGregor fans, it became clear quite quickly that his retirement wouldn’t last. Months after his announcement, he was already teasing a comeback, and now, he’s expected to return to the Octagon to fight fellow lightweight contender Dustin Poirier on January 23. The bout will be a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight, which he won by first-round knockout.<\/p>\n
McGregor rarely takes breaks from training\u2014even during his alleged retirement\u2014but seems to have ramped things up in anticipation of his rematch with Poirier, and his time in the gym looks to be paying dividends.\u00a0If his latest posts to Instagram are to be taken at face value, he’s in incredible shape at the moment.<\/p>\n
\n\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n