Dana White willing to offer Michael Chandler another fight, reiterates timeline for potential Conor McGregor return

Former UFC double champ Conor McGregor has not been in action since 2021 and was slated for a return this year.

McGregor's string of back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and a subsequent leg injury have kept him on the sidelines. His highly-anticipated return was scheduled against Michael Chandler after the two coached opposing teams in the latest edition of The Ultimate Fighter.

However, there has been no further update on the fight with an ongoing controversy between McGregor and the United States Anti-Doping Agency further complicating the situation.

UFC president Dana White recently spoke in a press conference and provided an update on the matchup. He explained his current stance of Conor McGregor returning to action next year and even agreed to facilitate another matchup for Michael Chandler in case he wanted to fight sooner.

White, however, believes 'Iron Mike' will prefer to wait for a blockbuster matchup against 'The Notorious'. He said:

“I got nothing on either one of those guys right now. I mean, I’ve been saying for a while, you know, next year is when Conor’s gonna fight. And then obviously, you know, if Chandler gets angsty we’ll figure something out. I think Chandler’s got a bunch of money, he’s hanging out with his family and when the time is right for the Conor fight, I’m sure that’s the fight he wants. I’m not speaking for him, I’m just assuming [that’s the fight he wants].”

Check out Dana White's comments on X:

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Joe Rogan hopeful of a Conor McGregor comeback despite difficult leg injury

UFC commentator and media figure Joe Rogan is very optimistic of a Conor McGregor comeback.

In a recent podcast episode alongside Kurt Angle, Rogan discussed McGregor's leg injury suffered in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Rogan said:

“If he does, he would be the first, if anybody can do it, maybe it’s him. He snapped his leg in the prime of his career. Anderson was a little older, I believe he was 36, 37 when he snapped his leg. Chris Weidman was a little bit older, it’s a hard one to come back from.”

Rogan added that Conor McGregor looked in good touch in his training and sparring montages.

"It’s been about two years and there’s all this talk of him fighting Michael Chandler from The Ultimate Fighter. He’s sparring, I’ve seen footage of sparring. He looks good, he looks real good… He’s a different breed, he’s a f*cking savage, a real savage. I hope he comes back.”

Check out the complete podcast episode on Spotify: