Conor McGregor’s long-awaited comeback might have to wait a little while longer than expected.
The Irish superstar, who last fought all the way back in 2021, has been teasing his return to the octagon for several months with hopes to compete again sometime in 2025. While next year is still the targeted timeline, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that he now believes McGregor’s return won’t be sooner than later.
White addressed the latest on McGregor during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show when he was asked about potentially rebooking the fight with Michael Chandler after he faces Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 on Saturday.
“That’s a fun fight,” White said. “I think Conor and Chandler both like that fight. When Conor comes back, which I see being sometime the later part of next year, we’ll see where everybody’s at and what’s going on and we’ll figure out who faces Conor.
“That’s why everybody was so excited about it. Chandler and Conor McGregor is a fun fight.”
Hearing that McGregor likely won’t return until late 2025 probably wasn’t the news anybody was expecting after a broken toe delayed his previously scheduled fight against Chandler back in June.
McGregor groused that he was gearing up to fight again but once it was clear that he wouldn’t return in 2024, Chandler eventually moved on. He now faces Oliveira in a five-round co-main event on Saturday’s card from Madison Square Garden in New York.
While Chandler has stated that he’s still interested in facing McGregor after sitting out for nearly two years waiting for that matchup to happen, it appears he might have to change his expectations about rescheduling the fight.
Despite the constant delays, White remains confident that McGregor will eventually return to the UFC but he also stands by the statement that all bets are off due to the absurd amount of money that the former two-division champion has earned during his career.
“It’s a fact that he does [want to come back next year],” White said. “He and I probably talk four or five times a month. He definitely wants to come back.
“We’ll just see. Every time I’m on here I tell you money — money messes everything up. So we’ll see.”