They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and that certainly rings true for MMA superstar Conor McGregor.
After a two-year hiatus, the Irishman will return to the combat arena on Sunday (NZ time), when he takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov in a bid to recapture his lightweight title at UFC 229 in Las Vegas.
It’s a comeback many thought would never eventuate. McGregor tested the lucrative waters of the boxing world in a bout against Floyd Mayweather last year, capturing the sporting world’s attention and shooting his star - and his bank account - into another stratosphere.
During that layoff, he was stripped of both his lightweight and featherweight belts, an act that struck a deep chord with the Dubliner.
"I spent my entire life's work to win those two UFC world titles," McGregor told The Mac Life.
"I set out a goal, I put absolutely everything [into it], I sacrificed so much to gain those world titles. Then, as soon as I won the second world title, I hadn’t been offered a featherweight contest and the featherweight title was taken off me, and was handed back to a man I had crazy history with."
That man was Jose Aldo, who McGregor famously defeated in record-breaking fashion to claim his first world championship in late 2015.
"I travelled the world with him, it was a two-year build up and he ended up pulling out at the last minute. When I ended up fighting him, I knocked him out in 13 seconds and then they gave him the belt back as soon as I walked outside the Octagon in Madison Square Garden.
"And then what? About a month or two [later], the lightweight belt is stripped from me also.
"These things irritated me, seeing what way it goes, who the belts are given to, see who the people are who are challenging for the belts and who the person who has the belt is facing to get the belt.
"Many things irritated me in the game and watching it all unfold, I just became a lot more hungry to come back and show who the real king is."
That desire to regain his UFC throne eventually won out, as McGregor rediscovered his passion for the sport.
"I'm here for the love of this game, love for competition. I fell out of love with the game for a bit.
"I went off and did my own thing, had many things going on, now I’m back.
"I'm hungry to compete and we're here, right on the cusp of it, making weight and handling media obligations, and that's it.
"The fans have just missed me compete, like I have missed me compete also. We all get what we want on October 6 - McGregor back inside the famous UFC Octagon."
With a fresh eight-fight deal inked with the UFC, McGregor (21-3) will begin his reintroduction to the Octagon against Russian grappling phenomenon Nurmagomedov in an archetypal 'striker vs wrestler' duel.
'The Eagle' is undefeated through 26 professional fights, his dominance so supreme that he's arguably never lost a round.
Predictably, the Irishman is utterly unfazed, offering his traditional - and often eerily accurate - 'Mystic Mac' pre-fight prediction.
"I believe KO," the 30-year-old told The Ariel Helwani Show. "Devastating, devastating KO.
"I hope it's not too early, to be honest. I believe I will clatter him, he will crumble - I don't believe he can take a smack.
"A lot of people believe the fight hinges on whether he can take it, whether he has the chin of a Diaz or maybe the composure of a Mayweather.
"But I don't believe he has either of those. I think he reacts like a novice and I think he is a man with a glass chin that hasn’t been cracked yet.
"He's been cracked a little bit, but not by a sniper rifle. I hope he absorbs it and then I'm going to maul him.
"Let's see who's having a conversation in there. Let's see who's doing the talking."
Join us for live updates of UFC 229 from Las Vegas on Sunday from 12pm
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