Conor McGregor does not have a UFC return in his sights after reiterating his desire for a career in Irish politics.

McGregor, 36, embarked on a much-publicised visit to the White House on St Patrick’s Day to air grievances over immigration in Ireland, pleading for help from the US.

The former two-weight UFC champion, who hasn’t fought in the promotion since 2021, then vowed to run for Ireland’s presidency later that same week, 10 years on from declaring “f*** politics” in an online rant.

And despite being on the verge of a long-awaited Octagon comeback against Michael Chandler just last year, McGregor has now confirmed that his heart has gone away from fighting.

“My heart bleeds for my country right now,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff going on at home I’m happy with what I’ve done. There’s something else for me that’s in my gut right now, and that’s where I’m going, so we’ll see.

“Greatness does not rush. My comeback will be slated as the greatest comeback of all time, so it has to be right. And right now Ireland is in my thoughts.”

McGregor has been increasingly vocal about what he deems political issues in Ireland in recent years, using his White House visit to push his anti-immigration message days before announcing his presidential candidacy.

It comes only months after a civil-court jury found he had raped a woman in Dublin in 2018. McGregor, who denied a claim that he “brutally raped and battered” the woman, said he would appeal the verdict, which required him to pay over £200,000 in damages.

The Irishman hasn’t competed in MMA since suffering back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier in 2021, but was on the cusp of a return after agreeing to square off against long-time rival Chandler at UFC 313.

That was until McGregor broke his toe just two weeks out from the hotly-anticipated headliner, forcing the fight to be called off.

Given how lucrative bouts against McGregor have proved to be, Chandler is desperate to get the fight rebooked, calling him out on a plethora of occasions to keep stoking the fire – including during a bewildering segment on WWE Raw.

And while McGregor seems to be prioritising his pursuits away from the cage, Chandler isn’t letting up and has promised to go to the McGregor well once more should he come out victorious in his UFC 314 co-main event against Paddy Pimblett.

“I’m going to do my job on April 12th and I’ll call out Conor again,” he said. I get made fun of no matter what, I want to see him be a man of his word. If he comes back this year, I’m fighting him.”

Chandler is currently 1-4 in his last five UFC, coming into the Miami bout against Pimblett off the back of a second defeat to former lightweight champion Charles Oliviera.

Having waited for over two years to settle the score with McGregor, Chandler is now making a conscious effort to stay active as his hopes of facing the Irishman continue to dwindle.

Meanwhile, Paddy “The Baddy” is slowly regaining his status as one of the UFC’s hottest properties and after having his fair share of doubters, he could propel himself into the upper echelons of lightweight with a win over the former three-time Bellator champion.

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