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When is Conor McGregor fighting again? The UFC superstar still doesn’t have a return date, with Dana White stating this past week that it definitely won’t be happening on the June date that McGregor “announced.”
“Eventually, yeah, hopefully this year” said White this last week. “There is no date. I’m hoping for the fall. [Hopefully] we get it done in the fall.”
So what’s the hold up?
Dana White tries to explain delay in Conor McGregor’s UFC return
The UFC CEO was asked once again asked about the reason behind Conor McGregor’s target return date that seemingly gets pushed back constantly.
Dana White claims it’s about injury recovery and McGregor having enough money in the bank.
“First of all, he is coming back from one of the nastiest injuries you can come back from. 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 — so that’s an issue right there, number one,” White told Kevin Iole.
“Number two: Conor McGregor doesn’t need the f—g money. When you don’t need the money, it’s not as easy. I mean, Khabib! Khabib doesn’t need the money, and Khabib retired.”
When asked further about knowing if McGregor is healthy enough to compete, Dana White said he wasn’t sure and brought up money again.
“Well, I don’t know (if he’s healthy enough to compete). 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,” White said. “I need to know the guys in a full camp and he’s ready to go. Conor McGregor has a movie coming out, businesses he’s built — it’s a completely different dynamic when you’re dealing with a guy that has this kind of money.”
Dana White’s explanation on Conor McGregor isn’t very convincing
Since Dana White asked about the recovery from shin breaks, Anderson Silva was out for exactly 1 year, 1 month and 3 days. Chris Weidman, who experienced complications and even needed a second surgery (that Silva and McGregor didn’t go through), returned in 2 years, 3 months and 25 days.
UFC veteran Corey Hill also broke his leg in a similar fashion, and won his return to competition after 1 year, 1 month and 13 days. He obviously doesn’t take kicks, but in other sports, NBA star Paul George was back to playing 8 months after an equally gruesome leg break.
Conor McGregor has already been out for 2 years and 7 months, as of this writing, with no return date in sight. With the timelines being brought up, he would be out for well over three years. Is that really because of his leg?
McGregor has been posting training footage for over a year now, and has been moving well in his latest sparring videos. We can’t really judge someone’s health from social media clips, but if his leg was still an issue, would Conor McGregor keep demanding to be booked for a fight for months? If it’s his leg, why would he constantly express frustration and say he’s being held back from making a living?
As for “having too much money,” it’s worth noting how the far wealthier UFC boss often uses that same tired line to pass blame and question McGregor and other fighters’ “hunger” and motivation.
What are the possible reasons for Conor McGregor’s delayed return?
So if not those two, what are the possible roadblocks on Conor McGregor’s return?
One explanation was drug testing, but USADA is now out of the picture, and even the earlier controversy around the six-month rule would’ve allowed him to return in April.
Another possible explanation is contract negotiations. Could McGregor just be asking for more money? After all, questioning people’s desire to fight is Dana White’s go to attack during negotiations for well over a decade.
The status of his current UFC deal can also be in question, as it was reportedly signed in 2018. Much like Francis Ngannou, Conor McGregor’s contract should have a “sunset clause” that can terminate his deal after 5 years. He should’ve been passed that limit by now, and potentially be able to make a lot of money as a free agent, where he can command a huge purse and get a far bigger slice of the pie that what he gets fighting for the UFC.
Related: Full payouts: How much has Conor McGregor actually made from the UFC?
The potential issue on a sunset provision though, is that the UFC has the power to freeze and extend his contract for various reasons. Historically, the promotion has used those extensions and controversial tolling provisions after turning down fight offers, injury layoffs, and retirement — the latter McGregor likely took to previously exit the USADA testing pool.
So is this one of the times Dana White isn’t being completely truthful (like lawyers repeatedly pressed him about)? Because Conor McGregor has been demanding to return for a while now, and things just aren’t adding up in his explanation.
Regardless of the reason, it’s also worth noting that a healthy Michael Chandler could be losing years of his prime and potential paychecks just waiting for this fight that may not even happen.
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