Manny Pacquiao vs. Conor McGregor confirmed by UFC star himself.

UFC legend Conor McGregor has confirmed that he will be fighting boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao in the Middle East in the near future. He took to social media to speak about the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic did to his schedule, and ended his tirade with the declaration that he will be fighting the Filipino people's champion next.

McGregor started a thread about wanting to fight Diego Sanchez in what would be the latter's final bout. "I seen your recent comments about your final bout and I am in! After you fought Pereira, I had requested for myself and you to compete in Dublin. This was back in February when I was working on opposition for my season, pre covid. Good luck this weekend!," McGregor tweeted to Sanchez.

In the same tweet, McGregor also included screenshots of a conversation he had with UFC President Dana White, wherein he could be seen pushing for a bout against Sanchez to be scheduled in May. The conversation took place back in late February, and we all know how the pandemic wreaked havoc around the world just weeks later.

Needless to say, a fight in May became impossible and even White's offer of a date in July has effectively come and gone. Sanchez was eventually booked to fight in UFC 253 against Jake Matthews. Unfortunately for Sanchez, Matthews dominated the match last night and left him bloody and deflated. The latter won via unanimous decision, 30-26.

After losing the match, Sanchez won't be as appealing in the eyes of McGregor, who always wants a sensational bout. Pacquiao is definitely a worthy opponent, despite the fact that he's a boxer and not a UFC fighter. Nevertheless, this isn't the first time for McGregor to face a boxing great. It may be remembered that he also competed and lost an exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.

After losing against Mayweather, the Irishman will be eager to redeem himself via a victory against Pacquiao. According to the BBC, Pacquiao's camp has confirmed that talks are underway and that they are not denying McGregor's claims of an upcoming fight. The 41-year-old senator is currently occupied with the coronavirus response in the Philippines, and his camp has stated that a huge portion of the proceeds of the match, if it happens, will go towards recovery efforts for the pandemic.