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It's happening: Conor McGregor returns to UFC to face Khabib for title

Published Aug. 3, 2018 7:13 p.m. ET

ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?!

Fight fan or not, this is can't miss action.

Conor McGregor (21-3) will make his long-awaited return to the octagon to take on undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0) for the belt at UFC 229, Dana White announced Friday ahead of UFC 227.

https://twitter.com/FoxSportsWest/status/1025494484102959105

McGregor will attempt to reclaim the 155-pound championship he was forced to relinquish in April due to inactivity-- the 30-year-old has not fought since November 2016. In his absence, Nurmagomedov defeated Al Iaquinta by unanimous decision at UFC 223, winning the title and becoming the UFC's undisputed champion.

McGregor was cleared just weeks ago of criminal charges stemming from the pre-UFC 223 events, where he attacked a bus full of fighters-- including Nurmagomedov-- by throwing objects at the windows and trying to board it.

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1025473280709410823

While fight fans everywhere are rejoicing, some of the other competitors that shared the stage with White during the announcement have very different opinions:

Nate Diaz stormed off during the presentation and followed with a Tweet saying: "I’m not fighting on that show [expletive] the @ufc"

He wasn't alone:

https://twitter.com/DustinPoirier/status/1025500115622973440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1025500115622973440&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2018%2F08%2Fnate-diaz-angry-khabib-nurmagomedov-conor-mcgregor-fight-announcement

While some of the fighters aren't too pleased with the Dublin-native getting a shot at the title in his return, UFC certainly is. McGregor/Khabib proves to be one of the most highly anticipated fights in the sports history and is sure to reach new PPV heights.

UFC 229 takes place October 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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