Conor McGregor Confirms UFC Return As Manager Hints At Potential Opponent

Conor McGregor's Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) return has been a topic of discussion for a while in the Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) fraternity. While, the Irish star has announced he will return to the UFC ring on Jan. 18, 2020, in Las Vegas, there is no confirmation about his opponent as yet.

McGregor has been away from the Octagon following the controversial ending to the UFC 229 PPV in October where he suffered a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov and that resulted in an all-out brawl.

The former UFC champion, who announced his retirement from MMA earlier this year, said he does not "give a f---" who he faces, while he accused the UFC of "holding him back."

"I just want to compete now. I was trying to get on the December 14 card. For whatever reason, they've been holding me back. I'm giving them dates. I'm saying I want to fight this date, this date, this date in a row. And we had opponents selected and everything and they're just making it very difficult for me for whatever reason. We're very close to announcing it, not just yet. But surely over the course of this trip, we should have an announcement. That's what we're aiming for," said McGregor at a press conference in Russia recently.

Considering Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal are both out of the picture and Khabib won’t be letting McGregor have a shot at his title anytime soon, the only two names that seem like an ideal candidate as the Irishman's next opponent is either Justin Gaethje or Cowboy Cerrone.

Meanwhile, McGregor's manager Audie Attar revealed that a “deal is imminent” and also hinted that his client could very well be facing Cowboy Cerrone.

"We had very productive talks this weekend with the UFC. I know Conor has announced a date, and in terms of discussions we have agreed on that date and we have agreed on that opponent. We're not going to reveal anything tonight but a deal is imminent, I don't see anything getting in the way, barring some unforeseen circumstances. Both parties want to get it done, it's in the best interests of everyone involved and more importantly the fans are really excited to see him back," Attar said.

"I like the Cerrone matchup, I like how he's building it himself and he's a fan favorite, he's a guy that comes to fight, he throws down and he deserves a fight like that. From a business standpoint, let's see how this plays out," McGregor's manager added.