Conor McGregor will return to the UFC Octagon for the first time in almost two years in October.
It was announced on Friday night that the controversial Irishman's grudge match with Russia's Khabib Nurmagomedov will be the headline act of UFC 229 on October 6th in Las Vegas.
Nurmagomedov took McGregor’s 155lb title in April, with the Irishman stripped of it due to inactivity.
He took a year out of the sport as he turned to professional boxing, losing to Floyd Mayweather Jnr last summer.
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McGregor is unhappy at Nurmagomedov holding a title he believes is his and, having last fought in UFC in November 2016, ‘Notorious’ is ready to return.
The pair will fight for the lightweight title, with McGregor putting his 21-3 record up against Nurmagomedov’s superior mark of 26-0.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the UFC’s 25th anniversary, president Dana White fielded questions and then said: “We have one last thing we want to show you.” A promotional video then played to promote the bout.
It drew rapturous applause from the the watching media and fans, with White adding: “They’re not here unfortunately. But the fight is done, October, Las Vegas, it’s on ladies and gentlemen.”
McGregor reacted to the announcement of his return to the ring on Friday evening by posting a ‘scary’ 16-second video clip on twitter where he comes out of the shadows, screams at the camera and then moves back into the darkness.
The two-weight world champion has wanted to face Nurmagomedov for some time.
After a confrontation between associates of the pair, McGregor gatecrashed a Nurmagomedov press conference in New York in April.
Footage appeared to show him rushing a bus on which Nurmagomedov was a passenger. Last month he was sentenced to five days of community service in the US after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct.
As part of a deal with prosecutors the former world champion was also ordered to undertake an anger management class, a spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney said.
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