Maybe.

The Irishman says he "accepts" a fight challenge from Spider -- but that doesn't mean you'll see them in the Octagon anytime soon.

Here's the deal ... Anderson posted a statement on social media late Wednesday night calling for a superfight with Conor at a 176-pound catchweight.

"I have immense admiration for the great athlete that Conor is and I believe that a super fight would go down in the history of the sport," Silva said ... "neither of us need to prove anything to anyone."

"I believe that fans of the UFC and of this sport would like to watch this great martial arts spectacle, it would be fantastic to test my martial arts skills against him!!"

McGregor saw the post and commented -- "I accept."

It's a good start -- but obviously, the UFC would also need to get on board ... and Dana White has previously said there are other fights for Conor that are higher on the priority list.

Conor vs. Khabib. Conor vs. Nate Diaz. Conor vs. Justin Gaethje. Conor vs. Tony Ferguson.

Everything seems to be on the table -- then again, Conor vs. Spider could be great too!

In fact,. Silva's been angling for McGregor since 2019 -- telling TMZ Sports on video he was pushing the UFC to get a deal done.

Earlier this week, Conor explained why he thinks Silva should go down as the greatest UFC fighter ever ... above stars like Jon Jones, Amanda Nunes, Henry Cejudo, Khabib and even himself, (he ranked himself at #2).

45-year-old Silva is obviously a legend -- but he's lost 4 of his last 5 fights.

So, will it happen?