When is Conor McGregor returning? Who will he end up fighting if and when he returns? While these questions have lingered on fight fans’ minds for quite some time now, they’ve gained more relevance in the present circumstances involving ‘The Notorious’. After losing the civil case filed against him by Nikita Hand, the Irishman’s life has been spiraling downwards. With the accusations made by Ms. Hand and the jury finding McGregor liable, his return in 2025 seems a bit rocky at this point. However, the former double champion filed an appeal to the court and, in his own words, has already begun training for his epic comeback. 

Dana White had previously announced that the Dubliner would return in late 2025. On the other hand, McGregor wanted to fight twice in the upcoming year. But for now, his return may be halted till he clears his name and moves on from the civil case. The question now remains – who will he fight when he returns? Let’s find out!

1. Dan Hooker 

Dan Hooker is one name that ‘Mystic Mac’ wanted to go up against after more than three years away from the sport. Back in October 2024, as BKFC made its entry in Marbella, Spain, McGregor and Hooker had a little interaction where they verbally agreed to fight each other on 1st February for UFC’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Reflecting on this, the Kiwi told Submission Radio, “We just spoke in the ring. 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.”

However, Dan Hooker ended up ruling out his supposed February 2025 matchup with the former double champion. And the reason? He and his wife Isabella Hooker are expecting their second child together in February. Talking to Helen Yee, Hooker said, “I’m good to go in January or March. The missus is due [for a baby in] February, so no can go. I’ve got a little girl on the way. You’d even turn down a big fight with McGregor for [the birth of your child]. You’re not missing that. No [red] p—ties are coming off in February.” ‘The Hangman’ also said that if he had the amount of money ‘The Notorious’ has, he wouldn’t come anywhere close to this fight. He also stressed that if he were in McGregor’s shoes, he wouldn’t even consider this fight.

On the other hand, it seemed like even Dana White was ready for Hooker and McGregor to clash. During a DWCS press conference, when a reporter asked him about the matchup, the UFC CEO said, “Yeah, obviously, that would be a great fight. I like that I did not announce the fight.” After all, the fighters never had a word with White regarding the fight.

So now, Dan Hooker is out of the picture. Who else is on Conor McGregor’s radar? Well, Michael Chandler is always ready to take on the Irishman and has been ready for the good part of a year and a half.

2. Michael Chandler

McGregor’s legal issues didn’t seem to take Chandler out of the picture, even though his businesses decided to leave him in the dirt. During his appearance on Ariel Helwani’s ‘The MMA Hour’, ‘Iron’ revealed that he really didn’t know the details of the legal troubles that pulled the Irishman in. What he did acknowledge was McGregor’s itch for a return to fighting. Chandler said, “I do know, if I were in that position, the last thing I want to do is not be training and not be moving forward toward a common goal. So, I’m sure he wants to get back into training. That’s what his statement said.”

The #7-ranked lightweight contender knows pretty well that McGregor is in a messy situation. The only thing that the Dubliner should do, according to Chandler, is to get back and move forward toward a common goal. And one aspect of that common goal for ‘The Notorious’, according to ‘Iron Mike’ is a fight against him. The former Bellator FC champ continued, “Why not fight me? Why not be training to fight me? Middle of next year, International Fight Week, or before that, as soon as possible… We can make that fight happen, ASAP.”

While Michael Chandler might be the most obvious choice for McGregor’s return, given that they have unfinished business as TUF 31 coaches, there’s another that ‘The Notorious’ has scores to settle with. The rivalry between Conor McGregor and his past opponent Dustin Poirier hasn’t found closure, and a fourth fight between them could be a likely matchup.

3. Dustin Poirier

The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier ended in an anti-climax, with the former’s tibia breaking in a freak injury at UFC 264. With McGregor’s win over Poirier at featherweight, and the latter’s two wins over him at lightweight, it seems like there’s business to be settled between the two. Talking to Megan Olivi back in 2023, ‘Diamond’ said, “I probably would (say yes) – try to shut him up once and for all. But even if I slap his ass around again, he’s still going to be chatting. So we’ll see.” 

However, the narrative changed in May 2024, as Poirier got ready for his showdown against Islam Makhachev. The Cajun fighter claimed, “I don’t feel the need to fight him again at all. I don’t need that [bad] energy in my life.” Apparently, the ship had already sailed and the ‘Diamond’ wanted nothing but the lightweight championship title. 

Poirier’s narrative changed once again following his defeat at UFC 302. He appeared on ‘Anik & Florian Podcast’ following the event and revealed that he didn’t want to retire with two back-to-back losses on his record. Jon Anik put forward a bunch of names, including McGregor, and asked Poirier if his next opponent was in the batch. The ‘Diamond’ replied, “100 percent. For sure. If I do fight again and when I do fight again, it will be definitely one of those guys you just said.”

Besides Poirier, there’s another opponent from McGregor’s featherweight days that has a score to settle with ‘The Notorious’. Fresh off of his defeat to Ilia Topuria, and with a target to return next June, Max Holloway is a frontrunner (for fans at least) for ‘The Notorious’ to make his return against.

4. Max Holloway

We’ve indeed come a long way since UFC Fight Night 26 which witnessed the battle between McGregor and Holloway. The fight was uber competitive from start to finish, the Conor McGregor emerging victorious in his second UFC appearance ever. About 11 years later, talks about a rematch began to emerge, after ‘Blessed’ snatched the BMF belt from Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. That was the time when the former champ-champ’s return was the talk of the town. 

Holloway said, “It would be hard not to say with him finally getting announced that he’s actually fighting, Conor [McGregor] 2. That’s the hugest fight, I think.” As soon as McGregor came across the BMF champion’s words on social media, he responded with just two words. “Congrats Max!”

While Max Holloway is on the laundry list of possible McGregor opponents, there’s another name in the mix among opponents ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t faced yet, besides Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler. Since the time he’s entered the UFC, Justin Gaethje has repeatedly expressed his disdain for Conor McGregor’s antics. ‘The Highlight’ won’t pass up the opportunity to fight McGregor if it presents itself.

5. Justin Gaethje

While Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor never clashed in the Octagon, a fight between them wasn’t something that failed to cross our minds. MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz had some peculiar claims regarding the matchup. In a conversation with TMZ Sports, the Arab-American manager said, “If this is what [Conor] wants, if this is what the UFC wants, I think Justin Gaethje will like to smash his face. 100%. I would love to see Justin Gaethje smash his face. Everybody knows I don’t like this guy. None of us like him. But, he brings a lot of unique things to the table. And, Justin is open to it, fighting someone like him.”

Abdelaziz went on to claim that the UFC had already offered McGregor to fight Gaethje, only to have the Irishman’s refusal. However, the UFC head honcho Dana White had a different alluding to the fact that ‘The Notorious’ never turns down a fight. In a press conference, White said, “I’ve said this many times, and I’ll say it again: I mean, we actually have video footage of Lorenzo and I walking into his house that he [McGregor] was renting here. He just woke up, telling him that the fight fell out, and he’s literally leaving going, ‘Well, I’m going to train, let me know who I’m fighting when I get back.’ We’ve never had those kind of issues with Conor McGregor ever.”

While the future is still murky for Conor McGregor, one of his paths to redemption lies in doing exactly what got him famous, i.e., fighting. A step back from the limelight and a return to basics is exactly what ‘The Notorious’ needs at this point, to fully focus on a successful 2025 return amid all the ugliness surrounding him. What do you think? Do you think we’ll see McGregor return and face any of the aforementioned fighters? What are his chances of success? Let us know in the comments down below.