7:41 AM PT -- During the presser, Conor went off about Khabib -- saying the guy is a "butthole sniffer."
McGregor was specifically taunting Khabib for his smothering, ground-based fighting style -- saying, "The man sniffs jockstraps for a living. He sniffs buttholes for a living."
"If you want to know what my a** smells like, just ask Khabib because he smelled it for the entire 1st round [of our 2018 fight]."
Conor continues ... "I speak facts. It was 15 seconds into Round 1, he dove for my legs and held on ... and had a good smell of my sweaty jockstrap."
"So, if any of you are interested just ask him ... how does Conor's a**hole smell?"
When asked if Conor would consider fighting Khabib in his homeland of Dagestan, McGregor said -- "I wouldn't go to Dagestan to take a s**t, and that is the truth."
Conor McGregor just announced his return to the Octagon -- saying he WILL fight on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas ... but his opponent is still shrouded in mystery.
The UFC star just held a media event in Russia, where he's promoting his Irish whiskey, and of course the conversation turned to his fighting career.
After trashing Khabib Nurmagomedov and telling reporters he would NOT wait around for Khabib to agree to a rematch, Conor said he's ready to move forward with his career.
"I would like to announce the return of The Notorious Conor McGregor will take place on January 18 in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada,” McGregor said.
"That is my comeback fight. It’s 12 weeks this Saturday. I’m in prime physical condition. I have agreed the date with the company. As far as the opponent, I have the opponent’s name, but for me, the game I am in and from experience, if I was to give you people the name, which I would love to do, I know the UFC would flip it because they’re a crafty company."
Conor says to ask the UFC to reveal the opponent because "I don't give a f**k who the opponent is."
McGregor says the Jan. 18 fight will be "the beginning of my season" ... as he teased more fights in 2020.
"I will then look to compete against the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal for the Bad MotherF**ker title. Obviously, I have history with Nate Diaz, we are set to make the trilogy bout, so we will see how that goes."
"Then I will seek [a] Moscow bout and it will be against the winner of Tony Ferguson and . Khabib Nurmagomedov."
Conor botched the pronunciation of Khabib's name ... but told reporters, "I can't even say the guy's name. Who gives a f**k what the guy's name is."
Conor adds of a possible fight with Khabib -- "The people of the world deserve this bout to take place. It is an inevitable rematch. It is a rematch that I will come in sharp, fresh, I will have no injuries, I will have no alcohol, I will have no outside influences, I will be fully focused -- exactly what the people deserve. Exactly what the fans deserve, and we will settle it once for all."
Originally Published -- 6:03 AM PT