UFC CEO Dana White has made it clear again that the company still hasn’t made any concrete decisions about Conor McGregor’s return. Nonetheless, the executive believes it will “hopefully” happen this year.
Many fans are already anticipating the return of McGregor to the cage, especially after the Irish fighter announced before New Year’s Eve that he would face Michael Chandler on June 29 in a 185-pound class-weight bout. Chandler, who’s been on break for more than a year now for waiting for the Irish, didn’t question it and seemingly started his training. After that, “The Notorious” teased about having a spot at UFC 300, which will be on April 13.
Needless to say, the announcements confused some, but White already dismissed the claims in an earlier statement.
“No,” said White when asked whether McGregor would be fighting in June. “When Conor is ready to fight, you know we’ll announce it. That’s what we do.”
Now, the promotion CEO is reiterating the statement after the UFC superstar, who is known for bluffing in his announcements, made his latest claim about the UFC 300.
“Eventually,” White said on The Pat McAfee Show when asked about McGregor vs. Chandler bout. “Hopefully, this year. There is no date. I’m hoping for the fall. [Hopefully] we get it done in the fall.”
While McGregor’s actions might confuse others, analyst and retired fighter Chael Sonnen explained in an earlier report that it was a part of the fighter’s plan to push the promotion in booking his fight.
“As a matter of fact, if you want to know what I think’s going on, I think Conor’s having a hard time getting this fight,” Sonnen said. “And I think Conor has now gone to the public, stated a date that he knows is available, got Chandler to back him up and they’re doing this to work into this bout agreement backwards, which is fascinating.”
