Dana White delivers worrying update on Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC comeback

Dana White has poured doubts on Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC comeback fight. The former dual-weight UFC champion hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts since breaking his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in his trilogy defeat to Poirier in 2021Getty He was supposed to return to action last June against Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303. However, the Irishman pulled out of the fight after suffering a broken toe in sparring and hasn’t been re-booked since. When White has been asked about McGregor’s next fight over the past few months, he has usually given a vague timescale. At the back end of last year, he was telling media members that McGregor would return sometime in the summer of 2025. But when the question was posed to him on Saturday night after UFC Saudi Arabia, there were no such hints. “Conor? I’m not sure when Conor will be back,” he sighed. McGregor’s career could be on the ropes and it hasn’t been helped by his recent controversies. ‘Notorious’ lost a civil sexual assault case in November relating to an incident in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. The claimant Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her, was awarded €248,603.60 (£206,556.03) in damages by a jury at Dublin’s High Court. As a result, several brands and sponsors distanced themselves from McGregor. McGregor was meant to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 but hurt his toeGetty The company that bought McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve Whiskey removed his ‘name and likeness’ from their brand. Meanwhile, major retailers such as Tesco, SuperValu, Centra, Costcutter and Carry Out said they would no longer be stocking any products associated with MMA’s biggest star. But rather than sitting quietly and riding out the wave, McGregor went on several now-deleted Twitter tirades. Last weekend, Northern Irish MMA star Paul Hughes fell to close majority decision loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin Usman at PFL Champions Series 1 in Dubai. Several members of the MMA fraternity believed Hughes had done enough to win the bout, including McGregor who was incredibly complimentary of the 27-year-old’s performance in the immediate aftermath. The niceties ended when McGregor caught wind of some comments made by Hughes about him during a post-fight exchange with Khabib. Controversy has followed McGregor everywhere over the last yearGetty “I’m not like this other guy. I’m my own man,” Hughes told the former UFC lightweight champion who shared a bitter rivalry with McGregor during their heyday. In response, McGregor took to X to lambast Hughes. “Too right, you’re not,” McGregor wrote in response to the Derry fighter’s comments, before going on to take a derogatory swipe at Hughes’ Northern Irish nationality. “Get that flag off you, you little know-what-you-are c*** from up there,” he added. “Up the real Irish f*** these vermin f****.” McGregor came under fire for his discriminatory posts with the MMA world rallying behind Hughes.

Feb 2, 2025 - 11:10
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Dana White delivers worrying update on Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC comeback

Dana White has poured doubts on Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC comeback fight.

The former dual-weight UFC champion hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts since breaking his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in his trilogy defeat to Poirier in 2021
Getty

He was supposed to return to action last June against Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303.

However, the Irishman pulled out of the fight after suffering a broken toe in sparring and hasn’t been re-booked since.

When White has been asked about McGregor’s next fight over the past few months, he has usually given a vague timescale.

At the back end of last year, he was telling media members that McGregor would return sometime in the summer of 2025.

But when the question was posed to him on Saturday night after UFC Saudi Arabia, there were no such hints.

“Conor? I’m not sure when Conor will be back,” he sighed.

McGregor’s career could be on the ropes and it hasn’t been helped by his recent controversies.

‘Notorious’ lost a civil sexual assault case in November relating to an incident in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

The claimant Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her, was awarded €248,603.60 (£206,556.03) in damages by a jury at Dublin’s High Court.

As a result, several brands and sponsors distanced themselves from McGregor.

McGregor was meant to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 but hurt his toe
Getty

The company that bought McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve Whiskey removed his ‘name and likeness’ from their brand.

Meanwhile, major retailers such as Tesco, SuperValu, Centra, Costcutter and Carry Out said they would no longer be stocking any products associated with MMA’s biggest star.

But rather than sitting quietly and riding out the wave, McGregor went on several now-deleted Twitter tirades.

Last weekend, Northern Irish MMA star Paul Hughes fell to close majority decision loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin Usman at PFL Champions Series 1 in Dubai.

Several members of the MMA fraternity believed Hughes had done enough to win the bout, including McGregor who was incredibly complimentary of the 27-year-old’s performance in the immediate aftermath.

The niceties ended when McGregor caught wind of some comments made by Hughes about him during a post-fight exchange with Khabib.

Controversy has followed McGregor everywhere over the last year
Getty

“I’m not like this other guy. I’m my own man,” Hughes told the former UFC lightweight champion who shared a bitter rivalry with McGregor during their heyday.

In response, McGregor took to X to lambast Hughes.

“Too right, you’re not,” McGregor wrote in response to the Derry fighter’s comments, before going on to take a derogatory swipe at Hughes’ Northern Irish nationality.

“Get that flag off you, you little know-what-you-are c*** from up there,” he added.

“Up the real Irish f*** these vermin f****.”

McGregor came under fire for his discriminatory posts with the MMA world rallying behind Hughes.