Conor McGregor is months from his return following his gruesome leg break last summer, but that hasn't stopped the notorious Irishman from playing matchmaker and he says he'll throw down with Khamzat Chimaev if Nate Diaz won't.
Friday night saw yet another tweet n' delete tirade from McGregor, with the Dubliner taking aim at a host of topics including his dissatisfaction with the Irish government following the rollout of yet more Covid-19 restrictions and his opposition to vaccine mandates.
READ MORE: Conor McGregor deletes anti-vaccine mandate message, but you can see it here
But the brash former UFC double champion also found time to set his crosshairs on one of his oldest rivals, as well as the new fighter on the block who has been calling out a slew of big names across several weight divisions.
McGregor recently indicated in a Twitter Q&A that he was still intent on facing Nate Diaz in the Octagon for a third time. Diaz, though, who has just one fight remaining on his UFC deal, was reportedly offered, and turned down, a fight with "rookie" Khamzat Chimaev.
Despite the relative uncertainty surrounding his next move, this hasn't stopped Diaz from playing matchmaker for both McGregor and Chimaev.
"Let [McGregor] fight [Khamzat]," Diaz wrote on Twitter. "That be a great fight to make. He needs a easy new guy to fight anyway. He can taper back in and see if he can even still fight at all. Great idea Nate. Thanks."
Chechen-born Chimaev responded in the affirmative, replying with emojis of two soldiers shaking hands, as well as a coffin.
"Gonna be a good fight," responded Diaz. "Good luck to u both and stay safe out there. I need both you lil b*tches healthy and strong for this one."
McGregor clearly wasn't intent on allowing either Diaz or Chimaev to have the last word, and responded to Diaz with two recently-deleted tweets.
"No problem, b*tch," wrote McGregor in response to Diaz's suggestion that he fight Chimaev, something which prompted another comeback from the Californian.
"Good job, do what [you're] told B*TCH".
"Two sugars," McGregor shot back.
Despite this, McGregor's newest Twitter spree has shed little light on what his next move might actually be. He has recently stated that he hopes to be cleared to return to sparring by April of next year ahead of a proposed summer return to the cage.
In recent weeks he has been linked to showdowns with a host of fighters like Michael Chandler, Diaz, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira and now Chimaev – but with just two fights remaining on his UFC contract, his longterm future with the company remains on unsolid ground.
It is possible that McGregor could fight out his UFC contract and make his move into the boxing world, a long-held desire of his, or even pursue Jake Paul and the box offices riches which would surely follow.
A fight with Chimaev, however, doesn't appear to make sense for anyone other than Chimaev and his supporters – given that the Russian-born Swede has competed as high as 185lbs in the past, some 40lbs heavier than the the featherweight category of which McGregor was once a champion.
But with McGregor recently posting pictures of his hulking new frame to social media and indicating that he is now "190lbs of granite," it seems clear that he is readying himself for something big.
And there is no doubt that Khamzat Chimaev would be a willing opponent, ready to test out his new frame – and surgically repaired left leg – if given the opportunity.