UFC boss Dana White says McGregor’s return won’t be in April
‘The Notorious’ was expected to feature in one of the company’s biggest events ever, but White said the Irishman won’t be in that card.
The enigma surrounding Conor McGregor’s return continues. UFC president Dana White denied that the Irish fighter will come back to the octagon at UFC 300, set for April 13 at T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas.
During an interview for the Pat McAfee Show, the UFC boss explained that McGregor’s comeback would “eventually” happen.
“Hopefully this year. There is no date. I’m hoping for [autumn]”, White said.
The former simultaneous two-category champion has been inactive for a long while. The last time he was seen in action was back in 2021 when he lost to Dustin Poirier for a second consecutive time after breaking his leg during their fight.
However, on 31 December, he uploaded a video announcing his comeback fight against Michael Chandler, as part of the traditional clash between The Ultimate Fighter coaches.
UFC 300: Who will fight in the main event?
MMA fans are already making their predictions for the UFC 300 main event, which is expected to be one of the biggest fights in the promotion’s history.
Besides McGregor, White has already shot down legends Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Ronda Rousey as possible fighters in the main fight of the card, while uncertainty goes on.
A rematch between new champion Dricus Du Plessis and former champion Sean Strickland would make sense as a potential main event, or a fight between Du Plessis and former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
The Nigerian could also headline the main clash against Strickland, the man who had previously defeated him, although there wouldn’t be any belts on the line and that could be a deciding factor for White.
White repeatedly tried to convince all-time great and undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov to bring him back for a last fight to headline the event, but the Russian always rejected the UFC president’s offers.
Jon Jones could have been another ideal choice, but the Rochester-bred talent, considered by many as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, got injured weeks before his fight against Stipe Miocic, and won’t be back until summer.