Conor McGregor’s comeback story might be taking an interesting twist, as a new opponent could be in the works for the former dual-weight champion, excluding Michael Chandler. UFC 303 was supposed to be the turning point for the ‘Notorious’ career as he was supposed to embrace the Octagon years after his exile but a simple toe injury derailed his plans. As he changed his plans, Chandler refused to wait any further and took the fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

His comeback story felt like it was nearing its end, but at the BKFC Marbella event, Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor met, sparking an idea in the former dual-weight champion’s mind to fight him and guess what maybe the UFC CEO Dana White is up for it. At the Dana White Contender Series press conference, the UFC CEO was asked about his opinion on whether he would like to witness a fight between Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor.

Dana Wh͏ite initially laughed at the question͏ and emphasized that this could work well for both of them, and he was looking forward to it, “Yeah, obviously, that would be a great fight. I like that I did not announce the fight,” said White. When the journalist asked whether or not White had talked with the fighters for a fight, the UFC CEO had a single-word answer, “No”

Conor McGregor has yet to embrace the heat of the Octagon since his last defeat against Dustin Poirier back in 2021, while on the other hand, Dan ‘The Hangman’ Hooker is riding a three-fight winning streak against top opponents. With both the fighters looking to fight at the start of the year, what game plan does Hooker have to fight one of the best in this sport or is he even willing to fight McGregor?

Dan Hooker comes clean on facing Conor McGregor

Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor met on the sidelines of the BKFC Marbella event, sharing a moment together. When a reporter asked McGregor about his comeback plans, he stated that he would face Dan Hooker in February. Interestingly, when the kiwi fighter was questioned about his intentions to fight McGregor, he emphasized that he would not have fought anyone if he had as much money as Conor McGregor.

“The guy [McGregor] has got money coming out of his ears. If I had that amount of money in the bank, you wouldn’t see me anywhere near after this fight,” said Hooker in an interview Helen-Yee. He further added that he is planning to make a comeback to the Octagon next year but Conor McGregor is not the first thing he is looking to face, “I’m good to go January or March. The misses is due February so no can go. I’ve got a little girl on the way. [Two girls]. Girl dad. The fighter’s curse continues.”

He further added, “Oh, you have to, mate, you have to. You have to. I think you’d even turn down a big fight like McGregor for that one, but well, you’re not missing that… No, there’s no pa—es that are coming off in February.” With Dan Hooker dropping ice-cold water on McGregor’s hot plan, what do you think would be next for the former dual-weight champion? State your thoughts in the comments below.