- Conor McGregor will battle Michael Chandler in his return to the Octagon
- But he took on ex-UFC champion Petr Yan in a jovial encounter
- Moses Itauma was brave enough to join Lawrence Okolie's gym at the age of 14 – now we see the result – The hook
Conor McGregor is set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler in 2024, but was spotted online in a video taking on another MMA fighter.
While the official fight date has not yet been confirmed, the Irishman has not stepped into the cage since his loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, when 'The Notorious' suffered a nasty leg injury.
A video was posted online on Friday showing McGregor staring down former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan in an intense but jovial head-to-head encounter at the IBA Night of Champions.
The video shows the pair entering the ring before facing off.
When they came face to face, they were kept apart by the IBA president, who had a sanctions belt draped over his shoulder.
Conor McGregor and Petr Yan faced off at the IBA Night of Champions in Dubai
The pair were seen in a video entering the ring before taking on each other
Yan, who boasts a fight record of 16-5-0, last fought in March where he was defeated by Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision.
He looked stern as he faced McGregor, who also gave the Russian fighter an intense look.
While it's highly unlikely that a fight will happen between the pair, they appeared to shout several jibes at each other when a microphone was placed between them.
But after a few moments, the fighters burst out laughing and reached out to hug each other.
Despite the tense initial confrontation, the pair burst out laughing before hugging each other
McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier
Yan has previously slammed McGregor on social media after the Irishman said he would tear him apart
It comes after the pair once shared some jokes on social media, with Yan calling out McGregor after the Irishman claimed in 2021 that he would 'tear him to pieces'.
Yan replied, “Conor, we all know you like to talk, but let's get straight to the point: if you really want to box or fight, I don't care about the weight or the rules. I bet you don't show up.'
The Russian has lost three of his last fights and currently has no fight scheduled.
Dana White, meanwhile, announced in November that McGregor could make his comeback next summer.