Months after Conor McGregor was expected to headline a card from UFC’s high-profile annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas, Nevada, it now looks like “The Notorious” might be off the entire 2024 schedule.
Following the live premiere for season eight of UFC’s Contender Series show on Tuesday, the promotion’s CEO Dana White spoke to the media in Vegas. During the scrum, he was asked if he met with McGregor while the two were at Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual Harley-Davidson rally.
In response White said they spoke recently, and took the time to deliver an update on the MMA star’s status.
“He wants to fight, so we’ll figure it out … Not this year,” he said.
McGregor was scheduled earlier this year to face off against Michael Chandler in what would be the former two-division champion’s long-awaited return to action. However, in the weeks leading up to the fight, McGregor suddenly withdrew due to a toe injury.
The cancelled bout took McGregor’s absence from competition past the three-year mark. A return not happening until 2025 would mean that that it would be more than three-and-a-half years before he comptes again.
Despite White mentioning plans to bring McGregor back next year, the Irish talent pitched his own plan on Tuesday evening. In a now-deleted post on X, he threw out the possibility of competing at UFC’s final pay-per-view card of the year.
“Ah Dana, December is the date! Bring the calendar year home with a winning event,” he wrote.
McGregor last appeared in 2021, when he lost a two-fight saga against lightweight veteran Dustin Poirier.
