Conor McGregor is only days away from making his long-awaited return to the UFC Octagon.

McGregor has not fought since he blew Donald Cerrone away inside the first round in January 2020.

A lot of water has passed under the proverbial bridge since then, with McGregor even announcing his retirement from fighting due to frustration surrounding the difficulties with booking fights.

However, Notorious is back at it once again and looking in pretty incredible shape.

There could be plenty up for grabs in the lightweight division this year, after unbeaten superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport in October.

That means that, while it still remains in Khabib's possession, the UFC lightweight title belt could soon be up for grabs.

Dana White, however, has not ruled out the possibility of Khabib making a return, and has instead confirmed that McGregor vs Poirier 2 will not be for the coveted belt.

Speaking to ESPN, White was quick to dispel any rumours suggesting that might be the case. 

"If Khabib does retire, then whoever the highest-ranked guy is at the time will end up facing Conor if Conor beats Poirier and would end up fighting for the title, I'm sure."

"As a promoter, you always want the best guys in the world. But when a guy wants to retire, he probably should.

"But the difference with a guy like Khabib is that he's been through so much, and losing his dad is such a major blow to him.

"It was something that they did together, and his dad wanted him to hit 30-0. But as a fight fan, I want Khabib to fight 10 more."

You can be sure that White is doing everything in his power to make a McGregor vs Khabib rematch happen but it won't be an easy task, even for the veteran president.

Khabib's mind looks made up and, as someone not swayed by dollar signs and lofty bank accounts, he could take some real shifting.

It would undoubtedly be one of the biggest events in the history of the organisation, but, unless White can work a minor miracle, it may never happen.