UFC CEO, Dana White has confirmed he and Conor McGregor are set to thrash out his immediate fighting future in the coming days as the two plan a meet face-to-face in the Middle East – in a bid to iron out details on the Dubliner’s much-anticipated return to the Octagon.
McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined from the Octagon since he headlined UFC 264 back in July 2021, suffering a fractured left tibia and fibula, resulting in a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to three-time foe, Dustin Poirier.
And tied to an expected welterweight return against former lightweight title chaser, Michael Chandler in his long-awaited comeback, Conor McGregor has yet to put pen to paper on a bout, having served as an opposing coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31 against the Missouri veteran at the beginning of the year.
Linked with a headlining bracket against the Kill Cliff FC staple at a monumental UFC 300 pay-per-view in Las Vegas in April of next year, McGregor has vocally voiced his displeasure with a lack of movement on a bout against the former, claiming nobody in the history of the promotion has been treated as negatively as him.
Dana White confirms talks with Conor McGregor
Yet to confirm McGregor’s involvement on a massive flagship UFC 300 event, promotional leader, White did provide an interesting update on the future of the Crumlin striker, revealing he and the 35-year-old are set for crunch talks to thrash out his fighting future.
“We talked tonight,” Dana White said on Instagram Live. “I’m in Abu Dhabi, he’s in Dubai. We’re gonna figure something out. We’re talking.”
White’s update comes hot on the heels of speculation from the aforenoted, Chandler, that McGregor is simply waiting to freeze him out of a potential fight – in favor of an apparent “easier” bout with veteran rival, Nate Diaz, who has also been linked with a comeback to the Octagon at UFC 300 next year.
Who does Conor McGregor fight in his return to the UFC?