Mum’s the Word: Dana White Keeping Conor McGregor Plans Under Wraps

While fans can expect Conor McGregor to return to action this year, the details regarding his return are still not being publicly shared by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.

In a social media post back in December, the former two-division champion announced his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler at 185 pounds on June 29 at International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

However, in a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Tim Micallef ahead of UFC 297, White refused to divulge any details regarding McGregor's return fight apart from confirming his return to the Octagon this year.

“McGregor will be back this year. Possibly him and Chandler, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out.”

McGregor has been out of action since UFC 264 in July 2021, where he suffered a Round 1 technical knockout loss to Dustin Poirier due to a devastating leg break. Since then, the Irishman has been nursing himself back to health.

McGregor subsequently appeared as a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” opposite Chandler. Despite the tradition of the two coaches ultimately meeting inside the Octagon, the fight with Chandler seemed off the shelf.

Time and again the mixed martial arts superstar has teased fans with a possible return. However, despite his recent social media post announcing “the greatest comeback ever,” it seems fans will have to wait for an official announcement by the Las Vegas-based promotion after all.

Meanwhile, Chandler has been out of action since his Round 3 submission loss to Poirier at UFC 281 back in Nov 2022. The former title challenger has been patiently waiting to book his meeting with McGregor. In fact, following McGregor's announcement regarding his return, “Iron” has begun preparation to compete with McGregor at “any weight.”