Dana White likely to announce Conor McGregor’s UFC return on Sat., steal spotlight from Rousey vs Carano

Outside of the occasional snub, UFC has not done much to interfere with Rousey’s combat sports comeback, a headlining fight against former Strikeforce attraction Gina Carano on Netflix. The May 16 lineup also features UFC veterans Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, and Junior dos Santos, among others.

It’s probably just waiting for the right moment to strike.

UFC CEO Dana White typically counter-programs his competition but the UFC Vegas 117 fight card, already on the docket for this Sat. night in Las Vegas, is not considered to be adequate competition in terms of star power. So, White is likely to do the next best thing and announce one (or more) big fights for later this year.

It’s not unreasonable to think that Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway at UFC 329 during International Fight Week is at the top of that list. Despite his five-year absence and embarrassing personal struggles, “Notorious” remains the biggest star (and the top draw) in all of cage fighting.

If Mac is indeed back, as these reports suggest, then we’ll probably find out on Saturday night.

UFC 329 is less than two months away so there’s really no other reason for the promotion to be withholding its main event, regardless of top billing. There’s also the upcoming UFC 330 card that was recently announced for Aug. 15 in Philadelphia, which does not yet have a main event (or marquee names) attached.

We’ll find out in just a few days.