McGregor signs up for UFC return

Conor McGregor will make his UFC return against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone on January 18, the organisation’s president Dana White has said.

The Irishman has not fought in the octagon since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov via submission at UFC 229 in October 2018.

McGregor announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on social media in March, but in October stated his intention to return in the new year.

And it now appears the 31-year-old will take on Cerrone at UFC 246 in Las Vegas on January 18.

“Conor has signed and Cowboy is ready to go,” White told ESPN.

McGregor has a 21-4 record in UFC and in 2016 became the first fighter to hold belts in two of the company’s weight categories at the same time.

He has fought just once in the octagon since then – the Nurmagomedov defeat – but lost to Floyd Mayweather in a professional boxing bout in August 2017.