Conor McGregor is desperate for a comeback fight. The Irishman, of course, has been out of action for the past three years, and when he will return or whom he will face remains unknown after Michael Chandler decided to move on and take another fight later this year.

But McGregor possibly answered this question at the BKFC Spain event earlier this year, when he floated the name of #6 ranked lightweight Dan Hooker for a February clash. And while ‘Mac’ may want to fight the lightweight star, the decision ultimately rests with Dana White and the UFC. And this is why MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, on his YouTube show, asked Hooker to speak about the possibility of a McGregor fight. Here’s what ‘Hangman’ had to say.

“Yeah, like, it’s a fight that makes a lot of sense for him. It makes a lot of sense to me. And we’re obviously both keen on the fight. It’s just I don’t know what’s going on with him behind the scenes. I don’t know what’s going on with him and the UFC and their relationship. So that’s all I can see,” he said.

And since that rumor started going around, people are going ‘Oh, like don’t be another Michael Chandler.’ Like that’s not the plan. I’m fighting early next year. I told the UFC either January or March and it’ll be someone in the top five or Conor McGregor… I’ll have a name and a date by the end of this weekend,” Hooker added.

The UFC and McGregor seem not to be seeing eye to eye lately. After ‘Mac’ pulled out of his UFC 303 clash against Michael Chandler earlier this year, the UFC didn’t book him for December as McGregor desperately wanted. And his slated opponent, Chandler, who had been waiting for two over a year to face ‘Mac’ finally decided to ditch the Irishman as we have mentioned before.

And McGregor has been out of the loop regarding his future with the UFC as he would sheepishly admit at a BKFC press conference. However, thankfully, we do know what Dana White thinks about a possible McGregor-Hooker clash early next year.

Dana White ‘likes’ the sound of a Conor McGregor vs. Dan Hooker fight

On being asked what he thought about Conor McGregor making his comeback against Dan Hooker, Dana White seemed to be on board. “That would be a great fight. I like that fight,” White told reporters. However, the UFC CEO subsequently made some comments that have fans fearing that ‘Mac’ may never return to the octagon.

White felt that McGregor, the wealthiest fighter in mixed martial arts history had made “so much money” from his businesses and endorsements that it must be “tough to get up and fight.” However, he did declare confidently that he believed that “Conor McGregor will fight in [2025].”

But, the head honcho added that “there is no fight made or a date set.” And whether or not it will be Dan Hooker early this year will become clear by the end of this week, as ‘Hangman’ told Helwani in the interview. What do you think about Hooker’s revelations to Ariel Helwani about the Conor McGregor fight?