Conor McGregor’s career could take a vastly different turn after the MMA star revealed that he has spoken with boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh.
Since his first-round knockout defeat to Dustin Poirier back in 2021, the 36-year-old has prolonged his UFC hiatus despite insisting that he will make a spectacular comeback.
In a Bloody Elbow exclusive, the Irishman hinted at a potential outing in Saudi Arabia, naming lightweight contender Dan Hooker as a possible opponent for February.
However, Hooker has since ruled himself out of fighting in February, leaving Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon up in the air.
Conor McGregor teases boxing involvement with Turki Alalshikh
While his next opponent is yet to be confirmed, it would seem that McGregor could indeed be in talks to stage his comeback fight in Saudi Arabia.
In fact, ‘The Notorious’ has seemingly formed a working relationship with Turki Alalshikh, who has largely spearheaded this year’s biggest boxing events under the Riyadh Season promotional banner.
Most notably, the Saudi boxing chief was heavily involved in Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight clash back in May, and has since delivered their eagerly anticipated rematch scheduled for December 21.
But still, it is unclear as to whether McGregor’s return will take place inside a ring or cage, given that the Irishman has never ruled out the idea of having another boxing showdown.
“Turki is the man,” McGregor told talkSPORT. “He’s had the shaking of the combat sports world.
“He’s been mending rivalries and making business for happen in the industry. I’ve got some big announcements for myself in the Saudi region.
“I was on a call with him only yesterday. We have some big, big things coming up including in the boxing realm as well.”
Will Conor McGregor headline a Riyadh Season boxing event?
McGregor, of course, made his professional boxing debut back in 2017, when he was comprehensively outboxed and eventually stopped by Floyd Mayweather.
And yet, while his second professional bout is not beyond the realms of possibility, one would suspect that a UFC return is far more realistic.
After all, the combat sports star continues to poke fun at Michael Chandler on social media, even after pulling out of their contest earlier this year with a toe injury.
And so, with McGregor still expressing a desire to defeat his rivals in the octagon, his conversations with Alalshikh could instead be related to his involvement in a business capacity, given that his Forged Irish Stout has already sponsored several boxing events this year.