Dana White doesn’t seem to have any especially enlightening updates
when it comes to Conor
McGregor’s UFC return.
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During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, the UFC CEO cited
McGregor’s recovery from a broken leg and the Irishman’s wealth as
the primary culprits as to why the former two-division champion
doesn’t yet have a date for his next fight.
McGregor suffered badly broken leg in his last Octagon appearance,
a loss to Dustin
Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Dublin native coached
opposite Michael
Chandler on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” last year, but so far,
nothing has been confirmed regarding a potential meeting between
the two.
“First of all, he is coming back from one of the nastiest injuries
you can come back from,” White said. “How long was Anderson
Silva out when he did it? How long was Chris
Weidman out when he did it? The guys who break that bone [are
out a long time], so that’s an issue right there, No. 1. No. 2 is,
Conor
McGregor doesn’t need the f–ing money. So when you don’t need
the money, it’s not as easy. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] doesn’t need the
money – Khabib retired.”
Silva was sidelined for a little more than a year after breaking
his leg in a December 2013 fight, while Weidman was out for more
than two years after suffering a similar injury in 2021. As far as
McGregor’s recovery, White was unable to offer any insight into the
Irishman’s overall health.
“Only Conor knows,” White said. “These are questions for Conor
McGregor, not me. I know he’s training. I don’t know what level of
training he’s doing. I don’t know what level of kicking he’s doing
right now. I don’t know any of that stuff. I need to know the guy’s
in a full camp and he’s ready to go. Conor McGregor has a movie
coming out. He’s got businesses that he’s built. It’s a completely
different dynamic when you’re dealing with a guy that has this kind
of money.”
McGregor
teased a return in June against Chandler at middleweight, but
that announcement was later disputed by White, who recently mentioned the fall as the current
target for the ex-champ’s next fight.