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UFC News: Dana White Non-Committal On Conor McGregor Return - ‘He’ll Let Me Know’

Conor McGregor’s return is grim.

Zain Bando

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

It appears former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor will not be returning to the Octagon anytime soon.

UFC Fight Night News: Tony Ferguson Responds to Dana White’s Calls for Retirement

That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who sat down with TNT Sports’ (UK) Adam Catterall in the lead-up to UFC 304, with the full interview getting released Thursday morning.

White and Catterall covered a variety of topics, including a non-existent timeline for McGregor, which White remained rather brief about.

“When Conor is ready to go, he’ll let me know, so I’m not even thinking about it or talking about Conor right now,” White said.

White’s answer follows a common theme since the postponement of McGregor’s fight with Michael Chandler, which was scheduled for June 29 in Las Vegas as the UFC 303 main event. A McGregor toe injury kept him sidelined and left Chandler, who hasn’t competed in MMA in nearly two years, without a fight.

The UFC didn’t address the fight as off until weeks before the event, remaining radio silent after a postponed press conference in Dublin, Ireland, originally scheduled for June 3.

McGregor vs. Chandler Was Postponed

The pair coached TUF 31 in the spring of 2023 but never fought due to complications from the McGregor side, mainly with USADA, among other factors.

At press time, UFC 309 nor UFC 310 have confirmed dates, but the locations are assumed to be Madison Square Garden (New York) in November and T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas) in December. White is targeting a Jon Jones comeback fight, most likely against Stipe Miocic in November, which leaves UFC 310 as the only true unknown main event slot given recent developments across the sport.

Chandler teased the fight on social media Wednesday with a fan-made graphic of him and McGregor staring at one another with the caption, “December to remember?” The UFC has not formally commented regarding the tweet, nor has it addressed McGregor’s two-year driving ban.

Regardless, just like it did in June, the fight still remains in limbo, as the one-year mark since TUF 31 concluded is also drawing closer.

Whether the fight will happen remains to be seen, but Chandler, who hasn’t won a fight since May 2022, is still pushing for it.

For now, only time will tell.

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Zain Bando

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99