Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor last fought in July 2021 losing to Dustin Poirier in a trilogy bout at UFC 264. In the loss, McGregor suffered a broken leg.
The Irishman coached The Ultimate Fighter 31 last summer opposite lightweight contender Michael Chandler. The two are expected to fight in McGregor’s eventual return.
Why hasn’t McGregor fought yet? UFC CEO Dana White answered that question during the UFC 298 Post-Fight Press Conference.
“The first problem was that he broke that shin bone. He was recovering from that. That was one of the reasons… The other problem is he’s f**king rich,” White said.
“Conor McGregor doesn’t need money,” White continued. “Conor McGregor’s got a lot of money. Anytime we can get Conor, we’ll be happy. We’ll be thrilled when he comes and fights but money complicates a lot of things.
“He just filmed a movie. He’s got to do the press for the movie and he’s got obligations with that. He does want to fight this year, but we’ll see what happens.”
When asked if it’s possible that McGregor never fights in the UFC again, White answered, “I don’t know.”
McGregor turns 36 in July. July will also mark three years since “Notorious” stepped foot inside the octagon. How will he do in his return? While White didn’t speculate on that, he did make a comment when discussing Henry Cejudo’s UFC 298 loss to Merab Dvalishvili that might apply to McGregor.
“In my opinion, you can’t take three years off in a combat sport. It’s never done well for anybody,” White said.
UFC 298 Post-Fight Press Conference: Dana White
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