Dana White shared a bit of hope when he talked about Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC during his last appearance on Jim Rome’s show. He said, “When Conor comes back, which I see being sometime the later part of next year, we’ll see where everybody’s at and what’s going on and we’ll figure out who faces Conor.” But now, the UFC head honcho had taken up the question of McGregor’s return with a hint of uncertainly.
During the post-fight press conference at UFC Saudi Arabia, a reporter asked the UFC CEO if he had any news of ‘The Notorious’s epic comeback. Little did the fighting community know that White would send a massive shockwave with his reply. He said, “Not sure when Conor will be back.” Needless to say, the look on White’s face reflected nothing but the disappointment in his heart. After all, his starfighter, the one who was able to sell out an event even though he was forced to pull out of it, had put the UFC in the shadow of doubts. XcellentMMA shared the clip of White’s response on Instagram and the caption on the video read, “Conor McGregor is truly never fighting again.”
Well, we had already expected to witness McGregor’s return at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. His role in TUF 31 further amplified the anticipation. However, a broken pinky toe broke all dreams as the Irishman was forced to withdraw. Since then, he has been asking for fights, and White had been claiming that he’d return in late 2025. But now, things don’t seem so good.
As soon as XcellentMMA shared the post on Instagram, the fight fans took over the comments section and shared their views on the Irishman’s comeback. Let’s take a look at what the fighting community had to say.
Dana White’s response to Conor McGregor’s return has the fans speculating the reason
For the majority of 2025, Conor McGregor was involved in conversations about his fight against Logan Paul and Jake Paul. Well, the Irish fighter was set to fight the WWE star in India. But it turned out to be yet another fight that never materialized. One fan claimed that it was because McGregor was probably helpless in the Octagon against the current UFC roster. The fan wrote, “There’s a reason why he’s begging Logan and Jake for a boxing match. He knows he’s hopeless for a ufc return.” Another fan claimed, “Conor will forever be completing side quests.”
Some of the fans were determined that Dana White’s response meant ‘The Notorious’ was never returning. A fan wrote, “That response means never. He almost said Conner is not welcome to the UFC again. That look on Dana White’s face says it all no one needs the leprechaun anymore.” Another fan asked White to come out with the truth now. He commented, “Just say it, Dana…he’s never coming back. And at this point, who gives a f—? Connor doesn’t. He’s rich.” One more fan added, “It went from “later this fall” for 3 years to “I don’t know””
Some of the fans claimed that it was time for the UFC to release McGregor from his contract. A fan commented, “Just release him. He’s not the draw he once was. Let him go fight Bare knuckle.” Another fan suggested, “i mean why should he fight at a certain point you gotta know when to hang it up.” However, there was one fan who seemed to believe in the possibility of the Dubliner’s return. The comment read, “To me this means something is already planned. Dana is always lying.”
What are your thoughts on McGregor’s return to the Octagon? Will he actually retire and never make his promised epic comeback to the UFC? Let us know what you think in the debate section below.
The post “He’s Begging Logan and Jake [Paul]”- Fans Join Dana White as Conor McGregor’s UFC Return Takes a Major Hit appeared first on EssentiallySports.
