Conor McGregor given two dates for his long-awaited UFC comeback after fight call-out

Dan Hooker has made it clear that he's open to fighting UFC star Conor McGregor in January or March next year - but not on the February 1 date that the Irishman proposed earlier this month.

McGregor, 36, attended a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in Marbella earlier this month and, while he was there, hinted at returning to the cage for a fight with Hooker. "February 1, Saudi Arabia," he told Bloody Elbow before naming "Dan Hooker" as his opponent when asked to do so.

However, Hooker has explained why he will not be fighting then - during a follow-up interview with Helen Yee - citing the expected arrival of his second child: "The missus is due [to five birth in] February, so, no can go.

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"I've got a little girl on the way. You'd even turn down a big fight with [Conor] McGregor for that.

"You're not missing that. No panties are coming off in February."

Hooker detailed his plans for the upcoming year in an interview with Ariel Helwani earlier this week, expressing his desire to get back into the cage in either January or March. On him fighting McGregor, he added: "I was hanging out with a lot of friends and stuff like that in the week.

"We seem to get on quite well. Yeah, it's a fight that makes a lot of sense for him.

"It makes a lot of sense for me. We're obviously both keen on the fight, but I don't know what's going on for him behind the scenes, and I don't know what's going on with him and the UFC and their relationship.

"That's all I can say." Hooker went on: "I'm fighting early next year. I told the UFC either in January or March, and it will be someone in the top five or [even] Conor McGregor."