Conor McGregor could take part in three high-profile fights in 2020 after his return to UFC was recently confirmed.The Irishman is set to return to the Octagon to headline UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone at Paradise, Nevada.However, this outing in January will be the first of a three-fight schedule, according to ESPN's Ariel Helwani.McGregor will contest with Cerrone at welterweight as a means of showing his worth at 170 pounds ahead of a bout with his next desired opponent which will either be Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal.A bout with Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov will reportedly close McGregor's year, fighting for the lightweight championship in Moscow.

The 31-year-old has not contested a fight in 13 months following a fourth-round submission to Khabib.

Speaking about McGregor's action-packed schedule, Helwani said: "Okay, so he has laid out this plan than he wants to fight three times next year.

"And he hasn't done that in over three years as well, so it's a pretty lofty goal. But he believes that when he is active, then he's not getting distracted, he's not getting in trouble. He's very focused.

"And people are telling me right now that they haven't seen him this focused in a very long time.

"You hear this a lot in the fight game, but he's going to sleep early, he's waking up early. He wants to fight January - 18th, in fact, he wanted to fight in December but the UFC didn't give him that opportunity.

"So he wanted to fight at the beginning of the year, then he wants to return towards spring/summer, maybe fight Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz.

"Perhaps that's why this fight is happening at 170, to prove that he can hang with the welterweights."

Speaking of the potential year-ending clash with Nurmagomedov, Helwani added: "And then he wants to fight at the end of the year against Khabib, if he is still the champion, in Moscow.

"He wants to right that wrong. He wants to win those two fights, get the title fight, and shut everyone up."