UFC CEO Dana White expects heavyweight champion Jon Jones to return in November, roughly one year after he was supposed to defend his 265-pound strap against former division titleholder Stipe Miocic. The 37 year-old “Bones” is currently recovering from a devastating pectoral injury and has not competed since steamrolling Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 back in early 2023.
Miocic, 41, has been out of action for more than three years.
Unfortunately, White did not have a definitive timeline for former two-division champion Conor McGregor, who like Jones, was forced to bail on a marquee matchup after getting injured in training. That means opponent Michael Chandler, who seems hellbent on scoring his “red panty night,” will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future — barring any last-minute title fights.
“Obviously Jon Jones had a serious injury that he had to have surgery and he’s recovering and no secret about it, I’m planning on him fighting in November,” White told UFC on TNT. “And then Conor? I don’t know when Conor’s coming back. When Conor is ready to go, he’ll let me know. So, I’m not even thinking about or talking about Conor right now.”
Sounds like this prediction was right all along.
McGregor, 36, was expected to make his comeback at UFC 303 last June but stubbed his toe and withdrew from the card. His last appearance came in a leg-breaking loss to Dustin Poirier in summer 2021, though fans did get their “Notorious” fix when McGregor coached against Chandler on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 — a season that seems wasted now that its coaches are not competing.
McGregor Forever Forgotten?