White: UFC ‘looking at’ McGregor vs. Cowboy

Photo by Stanislav Krasilnikov\TASS via Getty Images

“The Notorious” could finally meet “Cowboy” early next year, according to UFC president Dana White. Conor McGregor’s UFC return is one step closer to happening.
UFC president Dana White…

Press conference by Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor in Moscow

Photo by Stanislav Krasilnikov\TASS via Getty Images

“The Notorious” could finally meet “Cowboy” early next year, according to UFC president Dana White.

Conor McGregor’s UFC return is one step closer to happening.

UFC president Dana White confirmed Wednesday that the promotion is considering booking the Irishman against Donald Cerrone at a Jan. 18 pay-per-view card in Las Vegas, likely to be called UFC 246. White said that the fight is far from official, however.

“We have nothing done, nothing is even close to being done,” White told TMZ. “So I hate to even talk about this stuff and say it, because it might not happen, it might happen. But we’re looking at ‘Cowboy.’”

McGregor claimed last week at a press conference that he will return to the Octagon at the Jan. 18 event, which White said will take place at T-Mobile Arena. McGregor did not reveal any potential opponents for his next fight, but said something was indeed in the works.

ESPN later reported that two potential opponents were Cerrone and Justin Gaethje, with “Cowboy” being the frontrunner at the time.

Cerrone said earlier this week that he thinks the McGregor fight “is going to happen this time.” A McGregor vs. Cerrone fight was targeted for this past summer, but it failed to come to fruition because McGregor did not want to compete in a co-main event, according to Cerrone.

McGregor has not fought since an October 2018 loss to current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. McGregor, a former UFC two-division champ, has been accused of sexual assault in two separate cases this year.

Cerrone, who holds the record for most UFC wins in company history at 23, is riding a two-fight skid.