Conor McGregor tells rivals they’re ‘F****d’ as jacked superstar ramps up training for blockbuster UFC return
CONOR MCGREGOR has sent a brutal warning to his UFC rivals as he ramps up his return to the octagon.
The Irishman hasn't set foot in the cage since breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021 but looks to be fighting fit after a long and gruelling rehab.
McGregor has been keeping a close eye on the ongoings in the UFC's lightweight and welterweight divisions during his hiatus.
And he sent a warning to the big names in both divisions following a cardiovascular endurance training session.
Alongside a photo of himself sitting down and looking beefy after his workout, The Notorious wrote: "Bitta cardio, ya’s’r f***ed."
Former two-division UFC champ McGregor is hoping to return to the octagon before the end of the first quarter of the year.
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Last October, the Dubliner said during an impromptu Instagram Q&A: "I'm going to be back soon, hopefully.
"Early 2023 I'm aiming for. Sometime in that first quarter.
"That will give me a good couple of months [to prepare].
"Once I wrap this up in a couple of days, get the camp going [for] a good couple of months. And get going."
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McGregor, however, must first re-enrol in the United States' Anti-Doping Agency's testing pool for a minimum of six months before he can compete again.
But the 34-year-old is seemingly hoping to be granted an exemption to the testing pool requirement.
The UFC and USADA's joint policy permits the promotion to grant an exemption to the six-month testing pool requirement in "exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to the athlete."
In order to be eligible for the exemption, McGregor will have to provide two negative drug tests.
Last November, he tweeted: “I’m clear for testing in February.
"I will complete my two tests per USADA & we are booking a fight.”
McGregor, the UFC's first simultaneous two-weight world champion, will return to the cage on riding the worst skid of his career.
Mystic Mac has won just one of his last four outings and suffered back-to-back TKO defeats to Poirier in 2021.