With another title defense in the books, Alexander Volkanovski is already aiming for a former featherweight champion: Conor McGregor. While Volkanovski has been open to facing rising contenders like Movsar Evloev and Leorne Murphy, a match against McGregor is still at the back of his mind. After McGregor’s rumored match against Michael Chandler at the White House Card did not materialize, there is no update about his Octagon return.

As questions surrounding the Irishman’s return keep coming, multiple fighters, including Max Holloway, Mauricio Ruffy, and Charles Oliveira, want to face him upon his return to the Octagon. Volkanovski has now put his case forward, with the chances of the dream match taking place remaining low.

“One UFC legend… I’ve always said Conor, right?” said Volkanovski on his YouTube channel. “I’ve always said Conor because he was a, you know, featherweight champion that like, you know, back in the day I had Aldo and Max…

Obviously, you got all the, you know, the hype around that fight and all that sort of stuff as well, the circus around it, which would be cool. So, I’ve always said, him… I’ve always said, Conor McGregor.”

The fighter in question is none other than Conor McGregor. Notably, ‘The Notorious’ once reigned as the king of the UFC featherweight division. And he crushed legends like Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, and Max Holloway to reach that height. Surely, he can be considered a standout legend in that division.

However, McGregor is one such fighter whom Alexander Volkanovski has never come across inside the Octagon. Well, the reason behind that is timing. When Volkanovski entered UFC in 2016, the Irishman had already moved to the higher weight categories to pursue double-champion dreams. He first moved to the welterweight division to avenge his loss against Nate Diaz and later became the company’s first-ever double champion by winning the lightweight belt back in 2016. He also faced Donald Cerrone in the welterweight division at UFC 246.

Given that he is a huge draw for the company, McGregor became one of the highly sought-after opponents. Notably, a matchup against ‘The Notorious’ not only offered popularity but also big paychecks. Take his UFC 229 fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, for example, where the event recorded the highest pay-per-view sales in the promotion’s history.

However, this isn’t the first time Volkanovski has issued a callout or labeled McGregor as his dream matchup. Back in September 2025, when the talks of the UFC White House event were buzzing, ‘The Great’ noted how he and the Irishman could be a great fight for the historic event.

Likewise, even Sean O’Malley once tagged a bout against ‘The Notorious’ as his dream matchup. So, this clearly shows what McGregor has built over these years in the leading MMA promotion. However, as of now, McGregor hasn’t been inside the UFC Octagon for around five years.

But he is looking to make a comeback. So, that raises the question of who will become McGregor’s opponent in his return? As it seems, one candidate is perfectly lining up for that opportunity.

Conor McGregor and Charles Oliveira open up about facing each other

Conor McGregor’s last fight in the UFC octagon was against Dustin Poirier in 2021, where he suffered a leg break. Although he was slated to return in 2024 against Michael Chandler, again, an injury marred his comeback. Now, in 2026, McGregor finally wants to return. And for that, he had his eyes set on the winner of the UFC 326 BMF title fight between Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway.

The bout saw Oliveira defeating Holloway to become the new BMF champion. But McGregor was visibly displeased with how the Brazilian approached the fight. Citing that, he immediately lashed out at Oliveira and even made a callout.

“If they want I’ll spank Charlie,” McGregor wrote on X.

The message was clear. To that end, it also prompted a reaction from Oliveira. But for the Brazilian, like many other UFC fighters, a bout against McGregor is like a gateway to a massive payout. And hence, Oliveira reiterated his stance on a fight against an Irishman.

“The Conor fight, I’ve already said I would do this fight,” said Oliveira at UFC 326 post-fight presser. “It could be at 155, at 185, it doesn’t matter, because I would definitely be for a lot of money.”

With the verbal agreements coming in, it now leaves us to speculate where they could fight. According to veteran insider Ariel Helwani, the UFC is planning to make McGregor’s return in the International Fight Week, which will go down on July 11.

While Oliveira presents a clear path for McGregor’s return at lightweight, Volkanovski’s challenge offers a legacy-defining clash between the featherweight division’s past and present champions.

And of course, till then, Charles Oliveira is also expected to recover well from the UFC 326 fight. But then again, the ultimate decision lies in UFC’s hands. That said, who do you think McGregor should fight next? Will ‘Do Bronx’ be considered for that fight? Let us know in the comments below!