Conor McGregor was front and center of the pandemonium at yesterday’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in Spain, before announcing his UFC comeback.
The Irishman certainly made his presence known at the blockbuster show, which was headlined by a brutal clash between Franco Tenaglia and Tony Soto.
Shortly after Tenaglia claimed the vacant lightweight title with a majority decision victory, though, Conor McGregor swung everyone’s attention back to his MMA career.
The BKFC co-owner revealed that he will be returning to the octagon early next year, targeting fifth-ranked UFC lightweight Dan Hooker as a potential opponent.
Conor McGregor speaks with Dan Hooker at BKFC event
McGregor was set to face MMA veteran Michael Chandler in an eagerly anticipated showdown at UFC 303, only for a broken toe to rule him out of the contest.
And now, with over three years of inactivity looming over him, there have been several doubts about whether the 36-year-old will ever return to the world of MMA.
Hooker, meanwhile, has stayed relatively active in recent years, coming off a strong victory over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.
More than that, the New Zealander currently boasts three wins on the bouts, with his fine run of form making him one of the most formidable lightweights in the UFC.
Even so, McGregor has now expressed a desire to face the 34-year-old, as the pair took the opportunity to catch-up at Saturday’s BKFC event.
Will Conor McGregor fight Dan Hooker in Saudi Arabia?
As well as mentioning Hooker as a possible dance partner, McGregor has confirmed, when speaking to Bloody Elbow, that his next outing will be staged in Saudi Arabia on February 1.
It is no secret that the former UFC king has developed a close relationship with boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, who has largely spearheaded every one of the sport’s Riyadh Season events.
In fact, McGregor has often sat ringside with Alalshikh, and was in attendance for Daniel Dubois’ fifth-round stoppage over Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium last month.
And so, it would seem that the pair could already be in the process of planning his comeback fight, potentially for another UFC event in the Middle East.