Dan Hooker (L) could be Conor McGregor's next opponent. Photo: RNZ / Photosport
MMA megastar Conor McGregor claims his next fight will be against Dan Hooker, with the New Zealand veteran keen to take on the former UFC champion.
McGregor told the Bloody Elbow website that he plans to make his long-awaited return to the UFC octagon on 1 February Saudi Arabia, with Hooker his opponent.
McGregor and Hooker were both in Spain for the latest Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) event with McGregor, a BKFC part-owner and former two-division UFC champion, and the Auckland fighter seen engaging in conversation.
New Zealand fighter Dan Hooker grapples with Paul Felder in their UFC lightweight bout in Auckland. Photo: Photosport
Hooker has since been asked by Submission Radio, an online mixed martial arts show, about the exchange and whether or not he would be fighting McGregor next year.
Hooker, the fifth-ranked UFC lightweight, said he was more than happy to take on the former champ, so long as the UFC gave the bout the go-ahead.
"We had a few words inside the ring," Hooker said. "But, yeah, February 1 works for me. I'm on board, he's on board. We just need to get the UFC on board and we'll get this thing across the line."
Irishman McGregor was initially set to make his comeback at UFC 303 earlier this year but pulled out with a toe injury.
The real Conor McGregor. Photo: Photosport
His most talked about opponent had been American Chandler, but last month it was announced Chandler would face Brazilian Charles Oliveira to co-headline UFC 309 on 16 November in New York.
UFC boss Dana White has previously said a fight between McGregor and Chandler could still happen down the line.
McGregor, the former 145- and 155-pound champion, has not fought since his loss to American Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
Hooker has won his last three fights, with the most recent being an upset split decision victory over Poland's Mateusz Gamrot in a lightweight bout at UFC 305 in Perth in August.