Conor McGregor set to fight Manny Pacquiao next year

UFC star Conor McGregor is to come out of retirement to fight boxing legend Manny Pacquiao next year.

McGregor tweeted on Friday evening to announce he would be taking on the 41-year-old in the Middle East, with Pacquiao’s camp subsequently confirming the bout is in the pipeline.

Pacquiao’s special assistant Jayke Joson said negotiations ahead of the fight are “starting to move on”, with a significant proportion of the Filipino’s earnings to go towards providing relief and support for Covid-19 victims in his homeland.

Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion who also holds political office as a senator in the Philippines, was last seen in the ring in July 2019, when beating American Keith Thurman on points in Las Vegas.

McGregor announced his retirement via Twitter earlier this summer but, as on two previous occasions, it looks set to be short-lived.

The Irishman has delved into the world of boxing before, losing in ten rounds to the great Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.

He tweeted: “It will be a true honour to have faced two of the greatest boxers of the modern era, afraid of a fight."