Dana White says Conor McGregor will return “in early 2025”

Dana White is in the process of setting a date for Conor McGregor's comeback.

Tuesday marks exactly 38 months since McGregor's last fight, a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, which was made worse by “The Notorious” breaking his leg in the fight. The injury sidelined McGregor for an extended period of time and he has not competed since, raising questions about his competitive future.

McGregor has spent his time acting in films (including the 2024 hit Street House), and signed a management position with the fast-growing BKFC promotion. He was scheduled to face rival Michael Chandler at UFC 303 last June, but pulled out due to injury. For now, UFC CEO Dana White is optimistic that his biggest box office draw will be back on the schedule early next year.

“I have to tell you, I was the one who said this year that he was not going to fight despite all the rumors and everything else,” White told New York Post Sports. “Even the fight was set up at the press conference.”

“Conor McGregor will fight next year, early 2025. He's had so much time off in terms of hunger, he's a very rich guy. We'll find out. We'll find out when he comes back, but he's definitely one of the great superstars of the sport who elevated the UFC throughout Europe and other parts of the world. He was a huge star and a great partner for us.”

If McGregor returns to the Octagon as planned, he will be seeking his first win since his 40-second knockout of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020. Since that win, he has suffered two consecutive losses to longtime rival Poirier.

Although the fighter frequently mentioned that he would like to fight in December, White insisted that McGregor was unlikely to return anytime soon, telling reporters last August that the former two-division champion would not fight this year.

“We talked. We talked,” White said after the August 13 episode Dana White's Contender Series“We haven't met, but we've talked, and yes, he wants to fight. So we'll figure it out.”

“[But] not this year. He will not fight this year.”

McGregor responded shortly after in a later deleted tweet, writing: “Ah Dana, December is the date! Bring home the calendar year with a winning event! Come on, what's the point? I'm heading to altitude next month to prepare. DECEMBER! Tell Dana and UFC WE WANT DECEMBER! WE DESERVE DECEMBER!”