This year marks three years since Conor McGregor last set foot inside the Octagon. However, since then, his aspirations to fight again seem to have waned, despite numerous attempts to return. The situation remains unchanged, however, but while away from the fight scene, McGregor didn’t waste his time. Instead, he built an empire by investing in various ventures, which have led to his net worth now standing at $200 million.

While facing multiple setbacks in the Octagon, including being away from it, McGregor remained active in his business endeavors. One of his most successful ventures has been his whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey. The success of this venture even led McGregor to open his own pub, The Black Forge Inn, in Dublin, located at 163 Drimnagh Rd. Not one to stop, McGregor launched his own beer brand called ‘Forged Irish Stout’ in 2021, which he debuted in his aforementioned pub.

In recent developments, while the $1.022 billion beer beverage industry is facing tough times with dropping sales, McGregor’s company remains unfazed, with him even challenging the famous stout brand ‘Guinness’. His brand have found a creative way to market their Forged Irish Stout, using a century-old animation technique. McGregor’s company shared a series of posts on Instagram highlighting crisp animations of the unique (albeit fantasized) process behind brewing his stout. McGregor’s company wrote in the comments, “As a tribute to the delicate process involved in bringing Forged to life, we opted to create the fully animated advert solely using animation methods that were available 100 years ago.”

They added further, “This created a piece of art that reflects the time, effort, and determination that goes into every brew of our Forge Irish Stout. Each frame was hand-drawn by a team of seven animators, taking over 1,000 hours, while the sound was scored by the world-famous, Dublin-based Windmill Lane Studios, captured in a real-life forge and at The Black Forge Inn.”

After successfully establishing his stout brand in Dublin, Conor McGregor launched Forged Irish Stout in the American market last year. As it stands, McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout is sold across 500 pubs in 20 cities. However, in all of this, ‘The Notorious’ has been away from the one thing that opened the door to all his business ventures, which is fighting. After multiple failed attempts at making a high-profile comeback, it seems like 2025 is the year where the Irishman will make his much-anticipated return to the UFC. But will that be? While McGregor has his own anticipated timeline, company president Dana White provided a much needed update on his possible return.

Dana White provides update on Conor McGregor’s return

A pinky toe injury derailed McGregor’s last attempt to compete against Michael Chandler at UFC 303, further delaying his comeback. A few weeks ago, Conor McGregor hinted at a potential return to the Octagon in February next year in Saudi Arabia, possibly against Dan Hooker. However, UFC president Dana White appears to have different plans for the Irish superstar. McGregor is hopeful of fighting as early as 2025, but Dana White recently shared a different timeline.

During the UFC 309 post-fight press conference, White addressed McGregor’s return, stating, “Conor is going to come back late in 2025, so there is plenty of time to figure out who he will fight. There’s no doubt Conor wants to fight—he hits me up all the time. I told you guys he probably wasn’t going to fight in 2024, and he didn’t. He’s going to fight in 2025, probably at the end of the year. If it happens earlier, that’s good for all of us.”

What’s your take on Conor McGregor’s potential return to the Octagon? With Dana White suggesting a timeline that would see him return at 37 years old after a four-year hiatus, do you think McGregor will make it back? More importantly, can he still compete at the same level? Only time will reveal the answers. Stay tuned for the latest updates.