Speculations are ongoing and the common notion about Conor McGregor is that he could make his return by the end of 2024. However, the UFC’s plans for the rest of the year are, more or less, already laid out. According to Hall of Farmer Daniel Cormier, UFC CEO Dana White could disappoint McGregor regarding his wish to fight in 2024.
Conor McGregor, after three years of inactivity, missed out on his UFC 303 return. Now, there’s no doubt that people will rush to see him fight in any event he decides to make his return. But will Dana White help McGregor with that? Well, Daniel Cormier doesn’t think so.
Daniel Cormier claims Conor McGregor could get irritated with Dana White’s plans
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The recent episode of the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show on YouTube saw an important discussion taking place, catering to the UFC’s first-ever dual-weight champion. According to Daniel Cormier, and Chael Sonnen, the ideal timeline for ‘The Notorious’s return, can be December. However. ‘DC’ believes there’s a catch and McGregor could struggle to find his place in the rest of the PPV events left for 2024. As such, he gave his take on what Conor McGregor’s return was looking like now after his initial comeback plans faltered.
“Conor McGregor will get increasingly annoyed with the UFC because they will not have anywhere to put him. That’s my prediction,” said Daniel Cormier. Additionally, the Hall of Famer, keeping in mind that setting up a fight card is not an easy task, believes that it would be unwise for the UFC to put Conor McGregor in any event they want. And although New York seems to be the perfect venue for his return, it could mess up Dana White’s longtime plan of the Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic fight. And knowing White, the UFC CEO may not want to risk that.
“He will want to get back to that guy, but as you know, fight cards fill up and Conor McGregor can’t just be dropped onto any fight card, whereas New York may be a great place to put McGregor. You can’t put him on the same card as Jon Jones and Stipe [Miocic],” Daniel Cormier further stated. Hence, the simple conclusion here is that McGregor needs to keep scouting for his spot on any of these cards if he wants to make his return in 2024. But until then, nothing looks clear for the Irishman, and this could cause him to get more frustrated and do things that Dana White may not necessarily be a fan of.
“He will have to find a place to fight. I don’t know if that looks like December, I don’t know if that looks like September, I don’t know what it looks like… because of that, Conor McGregor will get increasingly annoyed with his situation to the point that he will do what he did – his first interview in a Bellator broadcast,” Daniel Cormier added.
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Meanwhile, there were several other insiders, analysts, and journalists who weighed in on Conor McGregor’s situation, with Ariel Helwani providing a little bit of insight into the rumors that the Irishman is now looking to return to the Sphere.
‘The Notorious’ will be too costly for the PPV in the Sphere
Ahead of Dana White and the UFC’s biggest undertaking ever with a PPV event in the Las Vegas Sphere, Conor McGregor has been in discussions among fans to make his return at that show. After all the biggest show may need the biggest star, but guess what? Ariel Helwani believes that would not be a wise decision for the UFC CEO, who’s already spent over $17 million on the event, and this could be a problem since McGregor won’t come cheap.
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“There’s no chance Conor-Chandler will be at the Sphere. It’s too expensive. The event is too expensive and Conor commands too much money,” Ariel Helwani stated in a recent edition of ‘The MMA Hour’. It seems like problems are slowly popping up for Conor McGregor since even Dana White appeared hesitant to provide an update about him until he makes a full recovery from his toe injury.
What do you make of these statements? Do you really think Conor McGregor’s 2024 return is in jeopardy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.