The relationship between Dana White and Conor McGregor has always been a solid one but as of late, the two seem to be disagreeing with each other regarding the Irishman’s comeback to the Octagon.
After Conor McGregor withdrew from his scheduled comeback at UFC 303 in June, it seemed as though he would come back as soon as his broken toe was healed.
Despite that, since his injury, the 36-year-old has been leaning heavily into his co-owner role with BKFC, helping promote the events and even making appearances at the fights, where he recently chugged a can of Forged Irish Stout in the ring.
Dana White reveals we will not see Conor McGregor return this year
UFC CEO Dana White was recently in Sturgis where he was talking at a Donald Trump rally. Whilst he was there, he spoke with McGregor, who was in South Dakota at a BKFC event.
With that, the UFC boss has revealed that unfortunately, the 36-year-old won’t be back before the end of the year, despite both he and Michael Chandler campaigning for UFC 310 in December.
“Yeah, we talked (in Sturgis), we didn’t meet up but we talked and yeah, he wants to fight so we’ll figure it out. Not this year (though), he won’t fight this year,” White revealed at the DWCS post-fight press conference this past Tuesday.
The revelation from White comes after ‘Iron’ Chandler admitted earlier this week that he is already targeting alternative opponents, as he is not letting his career hinge on fighting McGregor or not.
Despite that, if McGregor’s comeback is scheduled to happen at the beginning of next year, the 38-year-old is expected to wait an extra few months to ensure he finally gets the fight he has been waiting years for.
Conor McGregor not happy as he disputes Dana White’s timeline
White’s timeline for McGregor’s return may not be entirely accurate, though, as the former two-weight world champion has come out and disputed the boss, showing that he is not happy.
Both he and Chandler have been hinting that their bout will finally take place in December on the final PPV of the year.
So much so, that the Irishman even recently revealed that he has already begun planning his camp and that he will go to Colorado Springs to train at high elevation, in preparation for the grueling fight.
After hearing White’s timeline for his return this past Tuesday, McGregor took to X where he disputed the boss and continued to call for a December return.
“Ah Dana, December is the date! Bring the calendar year home with a winning event! Come on now, what’s this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. DECEMBER! Tell Dana and UFC WE WANT DECEMBER! WE DESERVE DECEMBER!” McGregor stated.
Although their relationship seems to remain intact, the two have clearly had several disagreements over the last year regarding McGregor’s return, with the UFC boss seemingly hesitant to rely on him returning.
- UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis’ former opponent tells Israel Adesanya how to beat the champion at UFC 305