Former UFC champ teases 2026 showdown with Conor McGregor

It’s no secret that former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is planning to make a comeback, but it’s still unclear who he’ll fight if he returns to action.

The uncertainty may finally be over.

On Friday afternoon, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman dropped a post on social media that immediately sent the MMA world into hysteria.

See it below:

Kamaru Usman drops Conor McGregor bombshell

Usman X Mcgregor 2026 👀

— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) March 13, 2026

“Usman X McGregor 2026,” he wrote.

It’s a short post, but there’s still a lot to unpack.

First of all, it’s not clear if Usman is simply calling McGregor out for a fight this year, or if he’s dropping a massive hint that the fight is already in the works. Given that we know McGregor is extremely eager to fight again, and that he plans to fight at welterweight, it’s certainly possible matchmakers are already working on this one.

If that’s the case, it would definitely be a huge fight.

McGregor is a former two-division champ, having held the featherweight and lightweight titles. Over the course of his career, he’s beaten the likes of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Eddie Alvarez, Nate Diaz, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Dustin Poirier, and Max Holloway. He also happens to be MMA’s biggest star, having headlined most of the most successful pay-per-view in the sport’s history.

Usman, on the other hand, is easily the second best welterweight in MMA history behind the great Georges St-Pierre. He holds wins over Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns, Tyron Woodley, Rafael dos Anjos, and Leon Edwards, to name a few. In his last fight he beat Joaquin Buckley. His days as a serious title contender may be over, but his legacy and name value would make him a credible b-side for a Conor McGregor fight, and he definitely has the skills to win. In fact, he would probably be favored to beat the Irishman.