Conor McGregor was in Spain for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on Saturday, and he revealed he’d be fighting Dan Hooker on February 1 in Saudi Arabia.
McGregor made the announcement in passing while Bloody Elbow captured his comments.
Hooker confirmed that he had agreed to fight McGregor, but there is one huge problem; Dana White nor the UFC has said a word about the potential scrap.
McGregor was supposed to fight Michael Chandler in June, but an injury forced the latter out. While there was some speculation the fight could be rescheduled for December 7 at UFC 310, that didn’t materialize.
Instead, Chandler was booked to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 in the co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Hooker has made it clear since defeating Mateusz Gamrot in August at UFC 305 that he wanted a title shot or a high-profile scrap with McGregor. McGregor is on board for the fight, which seems too big for a Fight Night card. However, Saudi Arabia’s cards are often considered mini pay-per-view-like shows.
Considering the UFC likes to keep title fights in the main event spots of their pay-per-views, McGregor-Hooker would be an excellent fit in the top slot for the February 1 card. If the UFC signs off on this fight, it probably won’t get announced until December at the earliest.
The promotion will likely want to ensure that McGregor will be fit and ready to headline a vital show. While the event isn’t a pay-per-view, a lot of weight is placed on the quality of the cards the UFC presents in Saudi Arabia. When the promotion landed there for the first time in June, it was pushed back from its originally scheduled date in March because it was essential to ensure top talent was available. McGregor checks every box, but availability is still the best ability.
Over the past four years, we’ve seen more of McGregor talking about fighting and no actual scraps in the UFC’s Octagon. When you look at McGregor, some of his antics on social media, and his current conditioning, it’s not crazy to wonder if he can get into the proper shape to compete against a fighter of Hooker’s caliber.
The fight seemingly has to be contested at 170 pounds, as it seems unrealistic to expect McGregor to make 155 pounds again. We’ll watch as more information about this potential fight surfaces.
Other UFC News – Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira Might Have Been the FOTY
If you missed the UFC Vegas 98 main event between Braondon Royval and Tatsuro Taira, you need to make time to watch it.
The fight is one of the best flyweight fights I’ve ever seen and a candidate for UFC Fight of the Year.
Royval won by split decision, but Taira proved he is a star of the future behind a relentless ground game that saw him nearly win by submission on two occasions.
In the end, it was Royval’s striking and submission defense that won him the fight, and he earned a ton of respect with a perfect post-fight interview.
Watch it all if you can.
