Dana White Confirms Conor McGregor Is ‘One Hundred Percent’ Coming Back This Year
Much of the hype and buzz around the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from Brooklyn, New York, has been around the last-minute replacement of Tony Ferguson by featherweight champion Max Holloway, who will meet Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title, but there’s a much bigger prize on the line.
The winner of the pivotal 155-pound showdown will supposedly move on to face Irish superstar Conor McGregor, who is rumored to be stripped this weekend so the lightweight division can move on until his return from a year-and-a-half hiatus while boxing Floyd Mayweather.
With “The Notorious” banking a reported $100,000,000 payday, he’s been more interested in flaunting his newfound wealth than defending either of his UFC titles, both of which he could now be stripped. It’s left the MMA world wondering if he’ll ever return, but UFC president Dana White insists he will – and soon.
During today’s (Wed., April 4, 2018) UFC 223 pre-fight press conference from Brooklyn, White confirmed McGregor is ‘one hundred percent’ returning this year:
“Conor is coming back this year 100 percent. He will fight this year. We’ll see how this thing plays out and we’ll go from there.”
That would suggest McGregor would be paying attention to UFC 223’s main event very closely, and not only could he find out his next opponent during the event, but his longtime friend and training partner Artem Lobov is also participating on the card.
Regardless, however, White said “The Notorious” won’t be at the card even if it would have been awesome to have him there:
“As far as I know, he’s not, no,” White replied when asked if McGregor would attend UFC 223.
“It would be awesome if Conor came. This is a fight that is obviously very important to him and his future. It would be awesome if Conor was here, but no, I don’t think he has any plans to be here.”
Indeed it would, because it could be argued there’s never been a time when the UFC needed their biggest star.
Will the infamous Irish knockout artist truly be back this year?
