Conor McGregor's next move 'guaranteed' after final UFC fight

Conor McGregor is approaching the end of an illustrious career in the UFC, and the Irishman's next move is already "guaranteed".

McGregor is currently recovering from an ACL injury he suffered within 69 seconds of his UFC comeback against Max Holloway last month.

The 38-year-old's return to the octagon for the first time in five years had a brutal ending, but 'The Notorious' is determined to make amends for this defeat.

The Irishman is targeting a comeback for July 2027, and the former two-division champion has already called out Holloway for a rematch on social media.

McGregor has one fight left on his UFC contract, and this is expected to be his final for the franchise, with all eyes on his potential plans afterwards.

There are several potential avenues McGregor could explore after leaving the UFC, and one of those is making a permanent crossover to boxing to fight under his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner.

McGregor became a part-owner of BKFC in April 2024 and has already talked up his ambitions of boxing, with BKFC chairman Dave Feldman willing to bet his "house" that he will head into his bare-knuckle boxing promotion once he becomes a free agent.

"He's really looking forward to coming back and getting that last fight under his belt," Feldman told The Sun. “So that way it clears him up for the ability to fight in the BKFC.

“And I really do think you see that happening.

“Obviously, it depends on what happens with this next fight.

“If he can come out injury-free, you know, I would bet the house that you’ll see Conor McGregor in BKFC."

Islam Makhachev could be Conor McGregor's first opponent

McGregor's only official boxing fight was famously against the legendary Floyd Mayweather, suffering a 10th-round defeat via TKO.

The Irishman's next bout has seen a long list of potential opponents emerge, including UFC superstar Islam Makhachev, who cemented his place as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter with a commanding victory over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330.

Makhachev defended his welterweight title in some style on Saturday evening, and in doing so, registered an historic 17th successive win to break Anderson Silva's 13-year record.

But despite reaching the pinnacle of the sport, the 34-year-old is already thinking about his prospects away from the UFC, accepting that his time in the sport is coming to an end.

The Russian's ultimate dream is to fight McGregor in boxing, and speaking before his win over Machado Garry, he confirmed that talks have been held with Zuffa Boxing co-founder Turki Alalshikh and the Irishman.

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"Our fight is still possible,” Makhachev told UFC Eurasia. “I have a new story to tell with him.

“I went to a boxing event, and I was with Turki Alalshikh. He called Conor and asked if he wanted to box with me.

“Yes, I am down. I told him to ask Dana White, who was near us. He laughed about it. We couldn’t really talk; he started showing some body language.

“I am not a high-level boxer, but I could handle myself with other [MMA] fighters on the feet.”

McGregor would be the overwhelming favourite to win if a fight was ever agreed, but as it stands, talks are only in the early stages.