Dana White Still Hopes to See Conor McGregor Return to UFC by Late Summer

Conor McGregor may not be fighting any time soon but he should still be back before the end of the summer

That’s the word from UFC president Dana White, who said recently when speaking with the BBC that he hopes the reigning lightweight champion will book his next fight in either August or September.

McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC since November 2016 when he became the first ever simultaneous two division title-holder in promotion history after defeating Eddie Alvarez to become lightweight and featherweight champion.

Since that time, McGregor celebrated the birth of his son and then focused all of his energy getting ready for a showdown with Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring last year.

While he’s remained engaged on social media, taking shots at several fighters over the past year, McGregor still hasn’t committed to a return date for his next bout.

“Hopefully we’ll see him back in either August or September,” White said this week ahead of UFC Fight Night in London.

Now it’s well known that McGregor’s return will be huge business for the UFC no matter who he faces, but the most logical opponent for him will likely be determined in just a few weeks time.

At UFC 223, Tony Ferguson will battle Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title with the winner seemingly on a collision course with McGregor later this year.

As far as White’s concerned, that’s still the matchup that makes the most sense once McGregor commits to a return date.

“Well we’ve got to see how things play out in that weight division,” White said about McGregor’s next fight. “A lot of things are going to happen in the next several months in the 155-pound division. Coming up is going to be Tony Ferguson versus Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and the winner of that is who I would like to see Conor fight next.”