Conor McGregor has claimed he WILL fight for the UFC lightweight title on his return from injury.
The Irishman is recovering from the broken leg he suffered in the first round of his third fight with Dustin Poirier last summer.
He has pencilled in a return for this summer, by which time lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will have defended his title against Justin Gaethje.
UFC president Dana White has refused to rule out McGregor swanning back into a title shot - despite the claims of rising star Islam Makhachev.
He stopped late-replacement Bobby Green last weekend and is now ranked No.3 in the 155lb division.
But McGregor, who has not won in the lightweight division since he won the title from Eddie Alvarez in 2016, insists he will be granted another shot at gold.
"Really pumped for my next fight, [the] title fight!" he wrote on social media.
McGregor is languishing at No.9 in the lightweight rankings but remains the biggest draw on the UFC roster.
And White has suggested he will leave it up to the champion as to who he fights when McGregor returns to action.
"We will see what's what with the lightweight division," he told The Underground. "It's going to depend on who the champion is when Conor McGregor comes back, they have a say in it. What do they want to do?
"If it's Oliveira who is still champion when Conor comes back, maybe Oliveira wants Conor we will see then."
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Oliveira and Gaethje are due to clash on May 7, leaving a tight turnaround for the winner to face McGregor in July.
The Irishman could wait until August or September however, should he be guaranteed a chance to win his old belt back.
McGregor plans to return to sparring next month before he embarks on a weight cut from the reputed 190lb frame he has built during his time on the sidelines.
He could also target the 170lb welterweight title in the future but feels he has unfinished business in the lower weight division.
Should Makhachev jump ahead of McGregor in the title race, and then win the belt and opt to defend it against the Dubliner, it would reprise McGregor's rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The retired unbeaten champion is Makhachev's coach and mentor and would see him come face to face with his bitter rival once more.
