Dana White opens up about Conor McGregor's return

Dana White has confirmed Conor McGregor will be competing this year, but he emphasises that his UFC comeback is still far from being confirmed.

The former two-division champion appears to have been pitted against fan favourite Michael Chandler since it was revealed that they would be coaching season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter last February.

McGregor, aged 35, recently asserted that his eagerly anticipated comeback fight, the first since he suffered a leg break almost three years ago, is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on June 29.

However, White maintains that neither a specific date nor an opponent for the Return of The Mac has been conclusively settled.

The UFC's President and CEO told Sports Net Canada: "So McGregor will be back this year - possibly him and Chandler. "We'll see how this whole thing plays out."

White's accepted that Chandler might not receive the McGregor payday - which he has been anticipating for nearly a year - sharply contrasts with his remarks on the two fighters facing off last November.

During an appearance on Crain & Company, he stated: "To not do that fight will be ridiculous.

White's startling revelation was followed by a comparable one from Saudi Arabia's Chairman of General Authority and Entertainment, Turki Al-Alalshikh.

The influential Saudi figure, who has significantly impacted the boxing scene in recent months, recently disclosed that he has engaged in discussions with the UFC leadership regarding the possibility of having The Notorious fight in The Kingdom.

"I tell Caroline, my sister, here, and she's a close friend with McGregor and myself, we are ready to fight with him," He told DAZN.

"We will try maybe, and we will announce it.

"We will do something big and I asked the UFC if there is a chance to have McGregor on this card or in the future."

The UFC was scheduled to make its debut in Saudi Arabia in March, but the event has recently been postponed. White asserts that this decision was taken to guarantee that they can create a significant impact in The Kingdom.

"Yes, we moved the card. I know there has been a lot of talk about that the card wasn’t good enough," he said.

"We never even proposed a card to them, we didn’t tell Saudi Arabia about one fight.

"So that’s all b****t. Every time the UFC puts on an event, we want to blow the doors off the place, we want people to be excited.

"It was our first fight ever in Saudi Arabia, and a couple of fights that we wanted to line up, they weren’t ready to go, so we pushed the card back because we are going to deliver."

McGregor has not entered the octagon since fracturing his leg in the trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.