Despite revealing plans to fight as early as August amid pulling out of next weekend's UFC 303 bout during International Fight Week, Conor McGregor's plans to return this year may already have been dashed by Dana White, who has confirmed the promotion's year-round schedule is already in effect.
McGregor, a former unbeaten gold medallist at lightweight and featherweight, was forced to withdraw from next weekend's scheduled welterweight bout with Michael Chandler, revealing he had broken his toe just three weeks before the bout in Las Vegas.
And the former two-division champion, who appears at Bellator Champions Series 3 in his hometown of Dublin tonight, revealed he is already working towards a “new date” for his return.
“I'm still locked in here,” Conor McGregor said. “I lost my focus a little bit and had to reschedule the fight, so it's a little frustrating, but it helps me stay focused. I can't lock in like I'm in a fight, like I'm doing my job. The job's not done yet, so it's not too bad for a guy like me.”
“We are moving forward with the new date, lessons learned, it was a lack of focus,” Conor McGregor continued. “If I was some other weakling who couldn't move, had no footwork, didn't rely on skill… I would have been fine. And I've done that before. I've come out on top in those situations so many times, giving them an undeserved advantage.”
Dana White not sure Conor McGregor will fight this year
However, as mentioned above, speaking to media following tonight's UFC Saudi Arabia, White insisted the rest of his 2024 schedule is already planned, and questioned whether McGregor would be able to fight as soon as he would like.
“I don't know right now,” Dana White said. “Yeah, we [the UFC’s] “The schedule is set, we'll see. We're not doing anything until we know Conor (McGregor) is healthy. It's not even worth talking about until we're saying 'What about September? What about October?' He's not ready, so why even bother talking about it?”
Do you think Conor McGregor will make it to the UFC this year?
