Dana White is confident that Conor McGregor will return to the UFC this summer, targeting a comeback in July. McGregor has not fought since 2021 due to injury but is in talks for a main event at UFC 329 on July 11.
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Conor McGregor appears to be nearing agreement over a return to the UFC (Getty)
Dana White has said he is āextremely confidentā that Conor McGregor will return to the UFC this summer, as the former champion targets a long-awaited comeback.
McGregor has not fought since 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier, but The Independent understands he has been in talks over a July return.
That would put the Irishman in line for the main event of UFC 329, which will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 11 July. It remains unclear whom McGregor would face, although he is currently expected to face an active opponent with a strong profile.
Dana White (right) has provided an update on Conor McGregor's return (Getty)
And UFC president and CEO White has provided a positive update, telling Jim Rome:
āWeāre in a great place with Conor. Iām extremely confident that will Conor will fight this year. Iām extremely confident that weāll get him dialled in and ready to roll.
āHeās training, thereās footage out there of him in training right now. We havenāt announced anything yet.
Conor McGregor is expected to return to the UFC on July 11 at UFC 329.
While it remains unclear, McGregor is expected to face an active opponent with a strong profile.
Conor McGregor has not fought since 2021 due to a broken leg he suffered in a loss to Dustin Poirier.
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āHeāll fight this summer. Let me just start there: heāll fight this summer. I thought it would happen last year; it didnāt, [but] Iām extremely confident it will happen this summer.
āHe seems motivated, heās training. There are a lot of other great things going on behind the scenes that make me very confident heāll fight this summer.ā
McGregor was initially seeking a spot on the UFCās upcoming White House fight card, an unprecedented event that will take place on 14 June. However, White was always coy on McGregorās involvement, and the Irishman ultimately missed out.
Conor McGregor missed out on the card for the UFC White House event (Getty)
The next major event will be UFC 329, though, with McGregor the frontrunner to headline ā three days before he turns 38.
During his prime, McGregor became the first dual-weight champion in UFC history with captivating knockouts of Jose Aldo (in 13 seconds) and Eddie Alvarez. He also crossed into boxing to fight the legendary Floyd Mayweather, but since losing that match via stoppage in 2017, he has gone 1-3 in the UFC.
In McGregorās return to the promotion after fighting Mayweather, he was submitted by bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018; his subsequent bouts were a 40-second stoppage of Donald Cerrone in 2020 and his two losses to Poirier in 2021 ā by KO and doctor stoppage.
Outside of the cage, McGregor has faced numerous legal issues throughout his career. In 2024, a civil jury found that he had sexually assaulted a woman in Dublin in 2018, though McGregor has always denied the allegations against him.