Conor McGregor already offered blockbuster ‘final fight’ in ideal return to the Octagon

Four years in the making, Conor McGregor’s return to UFC was abrupt, painful, and shocking, as a flying kick from the opening bell saw the Irishman injure his knee immediately and drop to the floor.

Despite his best efforts to draw the fight out longer than his bout with Nate Diaz, McGregor was issued a TKO after 69 seconds, opening up criticism and conspiracies as to why he came back at all - a question even Holloway posed seconds after the fight.

The injury is expected to be an ACL tear, which usually requires around six to nine months of recovery, depending on the severity.

Yet the 38-year-old fighter still promises to get back into the octagon again, as he says he will recover for a ‘final fight’.

As to who he could attract in such a bout, well, a familiar foe has put his name forward.

Dustin Poirier calls out McGregor for quadrilogy fight when fit again

Recent events have called into question the career of Dustin Poirier, after he was arrested for drunkenness following his retirement from the sport.

Yet he recently revealed that there was a small percentage chance that he could make a return, getting disciplined again, as he’s continued to stay in touch with the professional fighting scene as an analyst.

Now, he’s called out McGregor to have a fourth fight between the pair, as the old foes still have unfinished business.

“I’ll tell you what, whenever he is healed up, hit me up, Conor,” Poirier said on the Paramount+ podcast Deep Waters.

“I’ll come back and whip you again.

“I would come back to whip him again at 170 [pounds], [but] I don’t think he would.”

That potential fight would mean Poirier would need to drop down to his lowest weight yet, but he believes it would be worth it for the box office views.

Previously, Poirier revealed that any return to the ring would need to be agreed well in advance, as he would need at least six months to go through drug testing for UFC.

“I’d have to reinstate myself in the drug testing protocol and do six months of clean drug testing before I’m eligible to compete again,” he said in The Diary of a CEO podcast.

“So that would be another six months - it’s just a lot of hoops to jump through.”

The smug winner here is Max Holloway, who has beaten both fighters and continues to be the bar that they are working towards.

Holloway also gave McGregor a trilogy offer.

“You guys are lucky because there’s going to be a Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 3,” he said in post-fight interviews.

“What can I say? I guess I had him weak at the knees. We have got to run it back one more time.”

Of course, this is all hypothetical given that McGregor needs to continue working in the gym to overcome the knee ligament damage.

The Irishman claimed that he was fit and ‘sharp’ before his injury,

“I was so sharp and so ready for these fights, I cannot believe what has happened,” he posted on social media.

Either Poirier 4 or Holloway 3 would be a big fight for McGregor that could prompt his return and a swansong appearance in the UFC.