Conor McGregor will make this long awaited return to the Octagon this month.

The Irish superstar will have gone without fighting for over a year by the time his bout with Dustin Poirier on Fight Island rolls around.

It will be the second time the pair have clashed, with McGregor claiming a dominant first-round victory in their last bout.

The landscape of the UFC looks a lot different now than it did back then, however.

29-0 superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired and his title as lightweight champion could be up for grabs.

UFC President Dana White is having to plan for life without the Dagestan warrior, as the rhetoric coming out of Khabib's camp remains firm that he really is done and dusted with the sport.

So who could take up the mantle of lightweight champion, should Khabib vacate the role?

Well, according to White, the winner of McGregor v Poirier could be in line for that shot.

In a recent Q&A White was coy on the matter, giving little away. However, he did seem to confirm that the winner of the January 23 fight could be in line for a shot at Khabib's belt.

“Yeah, whoever wins that fight is probably next in line,” White said (h/t MMAjunkie.com) when answering a question about the belt.

It is no secret that White remains hopeful of coaxing Khabib out of retirement, which is probably why he is yet to truly nail his colours to the mast.

You can be sure that White dreams of a Khabib v McGregor rematch as it would certainly be one of the biggest events in the history of the company.

So, should McGregor triumph later this month, it would be no surprise to see White go all in on trying to convince Khabib to come out of retirement for one last mega-fight.

We would certainly have no complaints if he manages to pull it off.