Conor McGregor will not be making his return to the UFC Octagon in 2024.
Since suffering a leg break during his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, the ‘Notorious’ has been away from the sport but has been anticipating a comeback this year.
McGregor was slated to meet Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.
Unfortunately, he sustained a toe injury during training, leading to his withdrawal from the event, and Dana White has indicated that the match won’t be rescheduled until 2025.
The UFC CEO recently confirmed that McGregor is expected to return in the new year.
“I had previously mentioned that I didn’t think he would fight this year,” White stated in an interview with the New York Post before the UFC 306. “There’s been a lot of talk and now with the setup for the fight and the press conference. Conor McGregor will fight early next year in 2025.”
“As for his motivation, he’s extremely wealthy, so we’ll see when he returns.”
McGregor is likely disappointed with this recent news from his long-time boss.
The fighter has been vocal about his desire to compete this year, even suggesting that he and Chandler could headline UFC 310 in December.
‘Iron Mike’ concurred with McGregor’s idea, making sense since White has yet to announce a main event for the last 2024 card.
McGregor has yet to comment on his official absence from competition until January, but YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul anticipated this update from White.
‘The Problem Child’ recently shared his theories regarding McGregor’s absence, suggesting it may relate to the UFC’s TV rights deals.
« For those questioning why Conor isn’t fighting, he has two fights left on his contract, and the UFC is working to renew their rights agreement, » Paul noted in a podcast episode.
“They license their content, which includes the fights. So they are in negotiations with different platforms, or they might extend their deal with ESPN. A critical part of that negotiation is being able to present ‘Hey, we still have Conor McGregor for two more fights.’ But if he fights now, it wouldn’t aid the negotiations. The company would only be able to say, ‘Oh, well, we only have Conor for one more match.’ That’s why he isn’t partaking in matches at this time—it’s a common strategy with fighters.”
https://talksport.com/sport/2040993/conor-mcgregor-next-fight-ufc-2024-dana-white/