Conor McGregor Has Confirmed The Date For His UFC Return

Conor McGregor has confirmed the date for his long-awaited return to UFC. And while he had hinted at a December return date, it now seems to have been delayed.

Speaking at a press conference in Russia, the Irishman said he will make his comeback on 18 January 2020.

But when asked about who he is set to face, he responded as only he could, saying: "Ask the UFC, because I do not give a f***."

McGregor hasn't stepped foot in the octagon since his defeat to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last October.

And while he had been hoping his return would be in Ireland, with Dublin the obvious choice, that wish seems to have been scuppered - reports claim it will now be at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

Back in 2016, the UFC vice-president at the time, James Elliott, revealed that McGregor had asked for a fight in his native country.

Elliott said: "Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium are two places that we've looked at, we've made no secret about that.

"Conor has certainly made no secret about the fact that he wants to fight in Dublin.

"It's something that's on the agenda."

And while it's not yet clear who the charismatic Dubliner will face next year, one thing's for sure, there are no shortage of fighters willing to take a shot.

Last month, Justin Gaethje sent a message to McGregor just moments after he KO'd Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.

After the fight, Gaethje said he would 'love to' get in the cage with the former lightweight champion.

PA

The American said: "I want to f*** him up. Far as I know, he's retired. He's in the rankings, so he either fights or he gets out.

"I absolutely would love to fight him."

But what are the chances of seeing Khabib v Mcgregor II? According to UFC boss Dana White, it won't be McGregor's next fight but it could be one for the future.

According to The Daily Mail, he said: "Tony Ferguson gets the next shot, and obviously, if for whatever reason Tony can't take the fight or doesn't want to fight at that time, then we would figure out what's next. But yeah, Conor would make a lot of sense.

"Conor McGregor wants that fight really badly, and I'm sure the fans would want to see it. So we'll see how this whole thing plays out."

Topics: Ireland, SPORT, Conor Mcgregor, Interesting, US News, UFC, Twitter, MMA

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom