Conor McGregor has been challenged to a fight and a $1 million bet by Bellator’s featherweight and lightweight champion.

‘The Notorious’ is currently in the process of picking himself up after a brutal loss to Dustin Poirier two months ago.

Being the star that he is, hungry eyes still look in from all sides craving a piece of the action. The latest in the queue is Bellator champion Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire.

‘Pitbull’ is set to appear at Bellator 255 on April 2, coming up against Emmanuel Sanchez in Bellator's featherweight tournament.

In an interview with MMA Weekly, Freire said: "I'm a big fan of Conor McGregor and I know I can beat him, so that's the fight I want.

"Michael Chandler is representing Bellator in the UFC. He beat Hooker so easily. That shows how good we are and what we can do there. So, it’s not about UFC or PFL, it's about fighters. Everyone deserves that cross-promotion."

$1,000,000 Bet

Freire’s coach Eric Albarracin argued: “The original champ-champ versus the reigning champ-champ. The best against the best. Let’s see who comes out on top. We got a million dollars saying it’s going to be Patricio Pitbull. Are you willing to take the bet?”

It would be a surprise if McGregor even responds to such a measly bet. $1 million is pocket change to him, so it won’t get him out of bed in the morning. The quality of fighters is much stronger in UFC as well, so would McGregor even find it a challenging enough match-up?

Equally as big a stumbling block to any bout would come in the formidable form of UFC boss Dana White. The ever-stubborn White is against cross-promotional bouts, probably with the motive that it may harm the perception of UFC’s superiority if one of his top guys is beaten.

UFC is doing well, so why would he risk it?

Bellator president Scott Coker is normally resigned to picking up fighters discarded by UFC, or offering inflated sums to notable free agents to lure them into his roster. Understandably, Coker has stated that he would be open to his stars facing off against their UFC counterparts.

McGregor's Last Few Years in MMA?

McGregor will probably not be fighting for that much longer, as his motivation looks to be falling in recent years, diminished by his rampant star-power, fame and fortune.

For his remaining fights, it is to be expected that McGregor will go after bigger fights with the biggest stars in the top promotion in the MMA world or even the boxing world.

Freire may not actually believe he has a chance of facing McGregor, but getting his name in the headlines alongside the Irishman won’t do his recognisability any harm at all!