He has since been talking about his comeback, which would see him face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June – but the Irishman pulled out after suffering a toe injury in training.

Now he’s left without an opponent after Chandler agreed to face Charles Olvieira at UFC 309, and many more months on the sidelines following Dana White’s latest update.

Dana White shares Conor McGregor’s comeback update

Conor McGregor pushed for a fight at UFC 310 on December 7, and when that didn’t work out it seemed certain the 36-year-old would headline one of the first UFC pay-per-views of 2025.

However, his boss says it is likely McGregor will not return in the first half of the year.

The UFC CEO expects his biggest star to fight by the end of 2025.

White told Jim Rome on Thursday: “That’s a fun fight. I think Conor and Chandler both love that fight.

“When Conor comes back, which I think will be sometime late next year, we’ll see where everyone is and what’s going on, and we’ll find out who Conor runs into.

“That’s why everyone was so excited about it. Chandler and Conor McGregor is a fun fight.

“It is a fact that (McGregor) wants to return). He and I talk probably four or five times a month. He definitely wants to come back. We’ll just see. Every time I’m here I tell you money ruins everything. So we’ll see.”

Conor McGregor won’t be happy

McGregor has been begging for a comeback date all year, so he won’t be happy to hear that his return to fighting has been postponed again.

In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, McGregor claimed he will return to Saudi Arabia on February 1 before naming lightweight Dan Hooker as his opponent.

White subsequently insisted no date or opponent had been decided for McGregor, while Hooker ruled out fights in February because his wife was due to give birth that month.

‘Mystic Mac’ appears to be in no man’s land and White’s latest update on his fighting future will almost certainly provoke an angry response on social media from MMA’s biggest legend.

Only time will tell if and when McGregor will return to the sport that made him famous.

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