(THE SPORTS XCHANGE) - Forget about Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Conor McGregor stepping back into the boxing ring anytime soon.
It appears that the 29-year-old will head back to fight in the Octagon, and not the squared circle.
After a night on the town in New York, TMZ caught up with McGregor who said, "I think a true fight is what I want to do next. A real fight... MMA (mixed martial arts) next."
There had been talk of a McGregor-Manny Pacquiao fight, but that talk quickly ended when UFC president Dana White threatened to sue Pacquiao, according to ESPN.
McGregor remains under contract with the UFC. The last time McGregor fought was when he stepped into the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He suffered a technical knockout loss on that Aug 26 night, but many thought he performed admirably and speculated the Irishman would stay in boxing for more lucrative contracts.
The fight against Mayweather did 4.3 million buys, making it the second biggest fight in history.
McGregor also scoffed at the idea of fighting in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), using an expletive to say, no, he was not going to follow in Ronda Rousey's footsteps.
Rousey, a bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Games, has not fought in the UFC since her knockout loss to UFC women's bantamweight Amanda Nunes last December and according to USA Today, is on the verge of signing a contract with the WWE.
