Former UFC Star Conor McGregor Says He'll Face Manny Pacquiao in Boxing Match

Retired UFC star Conor McGregor dropped a bombshell Friday on Twitter in the form of a potential boxing match with Manny Pacquiao.

McGregor didn't provide a date but wrote that he is "boxing Manny Pacquiao next in the Middle East."

The Irishman made the declaration after tweeting screenshots of a DM conversation he had with UFC President Dana White in February:

White was trying to get McGregor to be on standby for UFC 249 in the event that either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson had to pull out, but McGregor wanted a pay-per-view focused on him in Los Angeles in May instead.

UFC 249 was moved from April to May because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Justin Gaethje replaced Khabib since Nurmagomedov was unable to leave Russia during the pandemic.

McGregor subsequently retired from fighting in June, but since he has retired and returned before, fans have been eagerly anticipating his next move.

While the 32-year-old is best known for his MMA prowess, he dabbled in boxing in 2017 when he took part in arguably the biggest crossover fight in the history of combat sports.

McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match and held his own for much of the bout before Mayweather put him away and beat him by technical knockout in the 10th round.

Per ESPN's Ariel Helwani, McGregor's manager confirmed Friday that there have been talks between the McGregor and Pacquiao camps. Audie Attar, who represents both McGregor and Pacquiao, noted that the fight isn't yet a done deal, however.

Attar said the Middle East is "one of a few" locations that have been discussed for the fight, and he added that he is "confident the fight will take place in the coming months."

Additionally, Attar said UFC is amenable to the proposed fight, and the plan is for McGregor to return to action in UFC in 2021 after he faces Pacquiao.

Aside from Mayweather, Pacquiao has arguably been the biggest name in boxing over the past two decades.

The 41-year-old is the only four-time welterweight champion in boxing history, and he owns a career professional record of 62-7-2.

Although his stock dropped a bit after a loss to Mayweather in 2015 and a controversial loss to Jeff Horn in 2017, the Filipino has won his last three fights against fairly big names in Lucas Matthysse, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, with the last fight occurring in July 2019.

With Pac-Man hitting his stride again and McGregor always generating attention no matter what he does, a Pacquiao vs. McGregor fight has a chance to be one of the highest-grossing combat sports events of all time on pay-per-view.