Islam Makhachev welcomes Conor McGregor super fight after upcoming UFC 302 return: “August or September”

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev might be on the verge of a ‘red panty night’ against Conor McGregor after his June 1 title defense.

Makhachev will defend the UFC lightweight title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in Newark. He returns after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski with a head kick in his most recent title defense in October.

McGregor, meanwhile, will return at UFC 303 just weeks later against Michael Chandler. He hasn’t fought since shattering his leg against Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021.

McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev’s longtime friend and mentor, had one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history. Nurmagomedov silenced McGregor’s pre-fight jabs by submitting him at UFC 229.

Makhachev is now carrying the throne of Dagestan, and he’s open to facing McGregor if both of them win their upcoming fights.

Islam Makhachev hints at Conor McGregor fight after UFC 302

In a recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Makhachev addressed a possible McGregor fight with a win over Poirier at UFC 302.

“[Dustin Poirier] finished Conor twice, brother, everybody can finish Conor 10 times,” Makhachev said. “Why not? People have to be stupid to say no. Of course I will fight him. I’ll fight next in October or November, [or] I can fight August or September with McGregor.”

McGregor’s upcoming return is at 170lbs, a division in which Makhachev has hinted at moving up in recent months. He was briefly linked to a champion vs. champion clash at UFC 300 against Leon Edwards before talks fell through.

First thing’s first for McGregor as he looks to return to the win column for the first time since 2020. He’s lost three of his last four fights overall, including back-to-back defeats to Poirier in 2021.

Makhachev is laser-focused on Poirier for his next lightweight title defense. After that, he might turn his attention towards McGregor, depending on how UFC 303 transpires.