.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
The return of Conor McGregor to the UFC appears to be nearly finalized.
According to UFC CEO Dana White, all sides involved in negotations are nearing a completion of the paperwork, clearing the former UFC champion to make his long-awaited and much-anticipated return to the Octagon this summer.
"We're in a good place," White told Jim Rome (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). "We're in a great place with Conor. I'm extremely confident that Conor will fight this year. I'm extremely confident that we'll get him dialed in and ready to roll. He's training, there's footage out there of him in training right now.
"We haven't announced anything yet. He'll fight this summer. Let me just start there. He'll fight this summer."
June appears to be the likely spot for Conor McGregor fight
The next couple UFC "marquee" events are set starting this Saturday night with UFC 328 where Khamzat Chimaev defends his UFC middleweight title against former champion Sean Strickland. From there, UFC White House is scheduled for June 14 with the main event locked in.
UFC 330 in August is expected to feature Islam Makhachev defending his welterweight championship, leaving UFC 329 this July for the return of "Notorious," who has held multiple championships with the promotion.
"He seems motivated, he's training," White said. "There are a lot of other great things going on behind the scenes that make me very confident he'll fight this summer."
Conor McGregor last fought inside the Octagon in 2021
McGregor last competed for the UFC in 2021, losing to Dustin Poirier when he suffered a gruesome broken leg. He did appear on a season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler since that time, as the two were expected to square off.
That never happened, and Chandler remains a potential opponent along with former UFC champion Max Holloway, who recently made it known he would love the chance for a rematch.
English (US)