Conor McGregor may have just had a light bulb moment after listening to what Khamzat Chimaev had to say. ‘Borz,’ who is set to defend his middleweight title for the first time against Sean Strickland this Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, told reporters that he wants to have a boxing match with ‘The Mac’ under the Zuffa Boxing banner.

“I’m not going to move over to boxing. I will be forever a UFC fighter,” Chimaev said. “But maybe if Zuffa [Boxing] gives the chance, box with Conor, or if Conor wants to accept that. It would be nice. Why not?”

Now, ‘The Notorious’ appears to have responded to that callout. Or he dropped a cryptic message for his fans ahead of UFC 328, which may be seen as a declaration for his future endeavors in the premier MMA promotion. 

“Very excited for the Newark, New Jersey @ufc card, with my 185lb @ufc title on the line,” McGregor wrote on X. “TUNE IN ON @UFConParamount 💰.”

His tweet was picked up by ‘The Mac Life’ on X, who captioned the post, “Is Conor McGregor giving a hint about his future goals?” Interestingly, the former UFC double champion reposted the tweet, seemingly owning up to that narrative. 

Although McGregor has never competed in the middleweight division, he has fought across three weight classes in the UFC: featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight. So, it’s anyone’s guess really what he meant by the tweet. In any case, there had been speculations that ‘The Mac’ was about to make his long-awaited comeback to the UFC.

Ariel Helwani has linked the 37-year-old to a potential bout against Max Holloway at UFC 329, though nothing has been officially confirmed. Still, McGregor has re-entered the UFC’s drug testing pool and continues to hint at a comeback. Adding to the optimism, Dana White recently shared a positive update regarding McGregor’s return.

“It’s looking good,” White said. “Believe me, you know once we get a deal done with him, we will announce it.”

While the fans await an official announcement about McGregor’s return, an expert has some bad news about McGregor’s comeback. 

Conor McGregor could return months later in New York

Regardless of what Helwani has reported, Chael Sonnen feels McGregor’s return to action is still months away. 

“I do not think he’s gonna fight International Fight Week,” Sonnen said. 

“I do believe that Conor wants to return… I believe November at Madison Square Garden is currently the leading proposition.” 

McGregor has been sidelined since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. So, if fans have waited this long, what’s a few more months? A delayed return could allow the UFC to maximize revenue and build a blockbuster event in New York. 

In any case, McGregor previously wanted to get a spot on the UFC White House card. And even claimed it was a done deal, but now we know, it wasn’t. So, take anything he says with a pinch of salt. 

It appears Conor McGregor has continued his tradition of teasing fans with a comeback. Until it actually happens, it’s anyone’s guess whether it’s all talk or there’s really substance behind it.