Conor McGregor gives a clue: 'A true fight is what I want to do next – MMA next'

By now, you know you’re not going to see Conor McGregor return before year’s end. Duh.

But you’re still probably wondering just what comes next for him, given there are a few options on the table – and given McGregor has kept things probably intentionally ambiguous.

But Friday night, he gave perhaps his most definitive clue yet for his next venture: You can expect him back in the UFC’s octagon – not in a boxing ring.

McGregor told TMZ after a night on the town in New York that next up, he wants a “real fight.”

“I think a true fight is what I want to do next,” McGregor said. “A real fight … MMA next.”

So no boxing. And no move over to the WWE, like may be happening with Ronda Rousey. “Fook WWE,” he said.

McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC, 0-1 boxing) hasn’t been in action since an August TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather (50-0 boxing) in a boxing match in Las Vegas. That fight did 4.3 million pay-per-view buys, making it the second biggest fight in history.

Since then, there has been speculation of a rematch between the two. There has been talk of a boxing match between McGregor and Manny Pacquiao. And, of course, everyone in the MMA world seems to be wondering when McGregor will put his lightweight title on the line – a title he won in November 2016, but has yet to defend.

But if this “true fight” is what he indeed wants next, the MMA world may be waiting for interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson to heal from recent elbow surgery for a title unification fight.

In other words: Who knows.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.