Dana White Says Conor McGregor Has Told Him He Wants to Fight Jorge Masvidal

Conor McGregor will return to the UFC Octagon after a 15-month hiatus when he faces Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.

However, UFC President Dana White said on 101.6 FM Radio in Washington D.C. (h/t Nolan King of MMA Junkie) that McGregor also wants to fight Jorge Masvidal.

"Conor has told me he definitely wants a fight with Masvidal," White said. "So we'll see what happens."

Masvidal is the No. 3 welterweight contender in the UFC rankings behind champion Kamaru Usman. The 170-pounder has a 35-13 lifetime record, with 16 victories coming via knockout.

The 35-year-old is also coming off a five-second knockout win over Ben Askren in July and a TKO victory versus Nate Diaz last month.

Masvidal could be lined up for a welterweight title fight against the winner of the Dec. 14 championship bout between Usman and No. 2 contender Colby Covington, but he's more interested in other opponents, per Yahoo Sports (h/t Damon Martin of MMA Fighting):

"They're fighting for the spot to fight me. I'm the ticket at 170 pounds. I'm going to go and get the biggest, best and toughest fights.

"So it's looking like we might fight Nick Diaz next, it's looking like it might be Conor McGregor, obviously those fights come first because of the paycheck and everything it brings while these guys are settling the dust between the hugging championships."

Mutual interest clearly exists for a McGregor vs. Masvidal bout, but the Miami native said at his UFC 244 post-fight press conference that he'll be taking some time off to "get a couple injuries right."

The "BMF" champion deserves the rest after three fights over an eight-month period, which also includes a second-round knockout of Darren Till in March.

As for McGregor, Caesars Sportsbook lists the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion as a -240 favorite ($240 bet to win $100) over Cerrone. The Irishman is 21-4 lifetime, while Cerrone sports a 36-13 record with one no-contest.