Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return may finally have a date and a list of potential foes, and his reaction to the news is as cryptic as ever. While the UFC world waits for an official announcement, a new report from a top insider has laid out a date and two potential opponents, drawing a cryptic response from the man himself.

‘The Notorious’ teased a return after the announcement of the UFC White House card. Considering McGregor’s popularity, he was expected to feature in that historic event. However, the promotion had other plans for it, and for the Irishman, they are reportedly leaning towards an International Fight Week (IFW) return on July 11. During a recent discussion on his show, Ariel Helwani reiterated on IFW as McGregor’s return date, analyzing potential opponents for him. And the insider named Nate Diaz and Max Holloway as two options.

McGregor reacts to Helwani’s thoughts on his potential opponents

“Precision beats power, and timing beats speed!” wrote Conor McGregor on X.

The statement is exactly the same that ‘The Notorious’ used after knocking out Jose Aldo in 2015. Although it seems like he is down with the possible opponents teased by Ariel Helwani, it will be interesting to learn why he used the same statement. Amid that, the veteran journalist proposed Nate Diaz and Max Holloway as two potential opponents for McGregor’s return. But why?

Diaz is not a part of the UFC roster, and Holloway just lost the BMF title to Charles Oliveira. Despite that, why bid for a fight between McGregor and one of them? Surely, legacy and rivalry could be one of the reasons. The Irishman’s feud with Diaz was a classic visual, where there was a mixture of trash talk and impressive fighting performance.

Both of them fought against each other twice, where ‘The Stockton Slugger’ won the initial encounter, and McGregor won the subsequent one. In a potential trilogy bout, these two UFC legends could put an end to their pending rivalry. Meanwhile, for Holloway, along with McGregor, the Hawaiian also became one of the standout MMA fighters.

After Holloway became the UFC BMF champion, discussion about a potential fight against the Irishman began to rise. Their first fight was held in 2013 in the featherweight division, which McGregor won via unanimous decision before either man had held a UFC title. Although ‘The Blessed’ lost the title against Oliveira last weekend, Helwani still sees him as a possible opponent for the Irishman. Maybe the stylistic similarities between the two are one of the reasons.

McGregor has been away from the Octagon since he broke his leg in his last fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. As he awaits his Octagon return, booking him for an International Fight Week, especially in a European country, would be huge in terms of revenue for the company.

Amid that, it will be interesting to see if McGregor would be inclined towards these two matchups. As it seems, he is also leaning towards a fight against another standout UFC superstar.

Conor McGregor opens up about fighting Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira is a former UFC lightweight champion, who reigned and defended the title against the likes of Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. That championship reign is something that kind of built Oliveira’s popularity and stature in the community.

As a result, the Brazilian is now one of the sought-after opponents. And after winning the BMF title at UFC 326, even Conor McGregor is showing interest in fighting him.

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

At first, McGregor was seemingly disappointed with Oliveira’s grappling-heavy performance against Max Holloway. Hearing and witnessing the similar uproar from the fans, ‘The Notorious’ just put forward this particular idea.

Surely, International Fight Week on July 11 presents a good return timeline for Oliveira. But then again, the ultimate decision lies in the hands of UFC. On that note, who do you want McGregor to make his return against? Let us know in the comments below!