Dana White announces Conor McGregor won’t fight in 2024; McGregor responds

Dana White and Conor McGregor | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC CEO Dana White says Conor McGregor will not be back this year.

After suffering a catastrophic leg injury at UFC 264, McGregor was supposed to make his long-awaited return to the octagon earlier this year at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. The two served opposite each other as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter and the matchup figured to be the one of the biggest events of the year. But a few weeks out of the event, McGregor suffered a toe injury that led him to withdraw from the bout, and now, it looks like “The Notorious” won’t be returning to the octagon until 2025.

At his Contender Series media scrum on Tuesday, Dana White told reporters that he’s been in contact with McGregor, and that while the former two-division champion is still set on returning, it won’t happen this year.

“We talked. We talked,” White said. “We didn’t meet up but we talked, and yeah, he wants to fight. So we’ll figure it out.

“[But] not this year. He won’t fight this year.”

White’s announcement runs counter to McGregor’s previous statements on his return, where “The Notorious” repeatedly suggested the injury would not keep him out long. This has been a recurring theme, as in 2023 and at the beginning of 2024, McGregor announced multiple different return dates, only for White to dismiss them later on.

White’s announcement once again puts Chandler in a difficult situation as the former Bellator lightweight champion has not competed since 2022 while he’s been waiting on McGregor’s return.

UPDATE: It didn’t take long for McGregor to respond.

Ah Dana, December is the date! Bring the calendar year home with a winning event! Come on now, what’s this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. DECEMBER! Tell Dana and UFC WE WANT DECEMBER! WE DESERVE DECEMBER!

Ah Dana, December is the date! Bring the calendar year home with a winning event! Come on now, what’s this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. DECEMBER! Tell Dana and UFC WE WANT DECEMBER! WE DESERVE DECEMBER! https://t.co/ZTVO4wDBuQ

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 14, 2024