UFC president Dana White said he is working on some "fun stuff" for Irish star Conor McGregor as he hinted at a possible comeback next year.
McGregor announced his decision to retire in June, having returned to the Octagon in January after a 15-month absence and knocked out Donald Cerrone at welterweight in just 40 seconds.
Former featherweight and lightweight champion McGregor had been planning to fight three times in 2020, however, the coronavirus pandemic scuppered that strategy.
White previously said no bout was planned for McGregor in 2021 but he told ESPN's SportsCenter on Thursday: "We're actually working on some fun stuff for Conor at the beginning of next year.
"He should be back next year. I'm not saying he's coming back to fight, guaranteed, but we're talking right now about some stuff."
The 32-year-old McGregor boasts a 22-4 record, which includes wins over Eddie Alvarez, Nate Diaz and Jose Aldo, though he lost a blockbuster showdown to unbeaten Russian rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
McGregor's agent Audie Attar added to ESPN: "We had some very interesting talks with the UFC recently. We are excited about the future and working on some fun things. Exciting things to come in the near future."