Conor McGregor has decided on his next move.
The reigning UFC lightweight champion has been hinting at his return to the Octagon for quite some time, but just recently he was caught up in rumors about potential negotiations for a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao.
Now McGregor has squashed that fight and now says he wants nothing more than to get into a real fight, which means coming back to the UFC.
“We’ll see what happens,” McGregor told TMZ in New York on Friday. “I think a true fight is what I want to do next.
“A real fight, what’s a real fight? MMA next.”
McGregor hasn’t competed in the UFC since 2016 when he won the lightweight championship with a second round TKO against Eddie Alvarez. Since then, McGregor took time off while awaiting for the birth of his son — Conor McGregor Jr. — and then was locked in preparation for his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August.
Following his fight with Mayweather that ended up as the second biggest pay-per-view in history, McGregor has largely been laying low outside of popping up on Instagram or making random appearances like his shopping trip to New York this week.
McGregor has been locked in negotiations with the UFC on his return to action but the two sides have yet to come to an agreement yet. McGregor has stated numerous times that part of the conditions for his return would be serving as a co-promoter alongside the UFC for his next fight.
There have been plenty of other rumors attached to McGregor’s name since the Mayweather fight as well including one about the Irishman potentially making an appearance in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Judging by his reaction when asked about that possibility, McGregor emphatically shut the door on those rumors.
‘F–k WWE,” McGregor shouted as he got into his car.
WWE and boxing are both out of the running so that means it’s now just up to the UFC to find a way to make McGregor happy so he will book his return fight, which will undoubtedly become one of the most talked about events next year.
