Dana White: Conor McGregor 'will fight this summer'

UFC CEO Dana White is more confident than ever that Conor McGregor will fight this summer.

How do we know?

"Conor will fight this summer," White said definitively on "The Jim Rome Show."

It's the most conclusive statement from White about McGregor's fighting future, going beyond the usual assertions that the former two-division champion will return to the UFC for at least one more fight.

"We're in a great place with Conor," White said. "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 training right now."

White did not make an official announcement, nor announce a potential opponent for McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC). Rumors have been circulating that the opponent is Max Holloway, with the fight expected to take place at UFC 329 as part of International Fight Week on July 11. Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9) recently addressed the rumors, stating he's preparing for a fight, but did not have anything signed at the time.

"He'll fight this summer, let's start there," White said. "... I thought it would happen last year, it didn't. I'm extremely confident it will happen this summer. He seems motivated, he's training, and there are a lot of other great things going on behind the scenes that make me very confident that he will fight this summer."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White: Conor McGregor 'will fight this summer'