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UPDATE: The UFC has confirmed that Conor McGregor‘s next fight will be at UFC 229 on Oct. 6. When the former two-division champion returns to action, he will be fighting current UFC lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Conor McGregor last fought in the UFC on November 12, 2016, defeating Eddie Alvarez to claim the UFC lightweight championship. At the time of his big win, McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles in two different weight classes simultaneously; he was also the featherweight champion at the time.
Since that fight, McGregor was stripped of both belts, welcomed his first child to the world, and dabbled in the boxing world for a superfight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
But now, he appears ready for his return to mixed martial arts.
Following UFC 225 in Chicago on Saturday, June 9, UFC president Dana White spoke to the media and revealed his plans for McGregor’s highly-anticipated return to action. In fact, White went as far as to announce who the promotion plans to put McGregor in the ring against.
The opponent: undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I think Khabib is a massive fight with Conor,” White said. “I think that’s the fight to happen right now. Listen, if Georges St-Pierre wants to move to 155, prove he can make it and fight the No. 1 contender down there. Then absolutely I’d do it.”
He later reiterated his stance.
White: McGregor is next for Khabib Nurmagomedov. #UFC225
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 10, 2018
Of course, McGregor has some legal hurdles before he can make a return to the UFC. The brash Irishman is set to appear in New York court on June 14 stemming from the infamous UFC 223 bus attack in Brooklyn back in April.
Once McGregor’s legal issues are settled and a punishment is determined, the UFC will be able to determine a specific timeline for his next fight. In the meantime, fight fans will have to continue anticipating the long-awaited bout between two of the best lightweights in the sport.
