DANA WHITE has issued a definitive statement on the identity of Conor McGregor’s comeback opponent.
The Irishman was left in limbo last week when it was sensationally announced that rival Michael Chandler has moved on from their long-overdue showdown.
GETTYConor McGregor’s comeback clash against Michael Chandler collapsed this week[/caption]
Chandler opted to move on from their clash to rematch former champ Charles OliveiraGETTY
GettyThe identity of McGregor’s comeback opponent is now a mystery[/caption]
GETTYDana White has revealed the promotion won’t make a decision on McGregor’s next opponent until he’s ready to come back[/caption]
McGregor’s fighting future is now in major doubt following the cancellation of his comeback clash with Chandler, who has opted to rematch former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in November.
The opponent for the rescheduled Return of the Mac is now a real mystery, which White insists won’t be solved until the promotion’s poster boy’s return date is finalised.
When asked if the winner of Oliveira vs Chandler will determine McGregor’s next opponent, White said: “It’s going to [be] determined when Conor comes back, who the opponent is.
“Whenever Conor is ready and he comes back.”
McGregor was left blindsided by the UFC‘s brass’ decision to book Chandler against Oliveira, who knocked him out in the second round of their first meeting in May 2021.
The Irishman revealed he’d talked to Saudi combat sports supremo Turki Alalshik to “assist” him in finalising a new comeback date.
But the former two-division, who hasn’t fought since breaking his left leg over three years ago, has since reached out to White.
White continued: “He hit me up last night when he heard that I was here [in Dublin].
“He’s in New York right now, and he is training.”
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Inside McGregor’s Notorious lifestyle
With more sides to his personality than an Octagon, Conor McGregor’s rise has been an enthralling watch.
Going from UFC icon to entrepreneur and Hollywood star, the Irishman has transcended the sport he helped bring to the masses.
He has four children with fiancee Dee Devlin and the family enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
McGregor has not fought in UFC since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021.
That has not stopped him amassing a net worth of over £150m thanks to his Proper No Twelve whiskey and fashion line.
And he is due to return to the Octagon at UFC 303 in an eagerly-awaited headline clash with Michael Chandler.
McGregor also starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the Amazon Prime remake of classic movie Road House, although he is dreading his mum seeing one X-rated scene.
Notorious turned up to the premiere in a £60,000 suit that was outdone by his £460k watch.
The only thing sharper than his fashion sense is his tongue and the Dubliner has several bitter spats under his belt, including with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
That row led to one of his biggest controversies in 2018 as he travelled 3,000 miles to confront Khabib in a vicious attack on his bus.
He pleaded guilty to assault after punching a man in a pub in 2018 and had his £150k Bentley seized by police for driving offences four years later.
Joe Rogan lashed out at McGregor in a four-letter outburst and the Irishman has also fired shots at Jake Paul, KSI and Tommy Fury.
Boxing great Floyd Mayweather also has McGregor on his enemy list after the pair clashed in a cross-sport bout in 2017.
Read all of our latest Conor McGregor stories.
Following the injury-enforced cancellation of his clash with Chandler, McGregor revealed to SunSport that he was eyeing a December return to the octagon.
The UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion told SunSport: “That sounds good to me.
“That sounds good to me brother.”
But the UFC brass have other plans for Mystic Mac, who has two fights left on the lucrative deal he signed with MMA‘s top promotion in September 2018.
White recently told the New York Post: “I was the one this year saying I don’t think he’s going to fight this year, amid all the talk and everything else.
“Conor McGregor will fight next year, early 2025.”
McGregor was in talks with the UFC over a new contract prior to the cancellation of his June joust with Chandler but recently hinted that they’ve been shelved.
Ireland’s first and only UFC champion SunSport: “You know, the fight never happened. So it’s just about getting the fight on.”
McGregor hasn’t set foot inside octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy with Dustin Poirier over three years ago.