Conor McGregor‘s return. Fact or myth? ‘The Notorious’ is slowly becoming an even more elusive creature of the MMA world. He makes announcements to rile up the community and slowly, with Dana White‘s silences and then his clarity, all anyone can do is speculate.

But let’s really face it. The last time he fought was in 2021. He broke his shin and since then, it’s all been smoke and mirrors. First, it was a USADA conflict, then, it could have been UFC 300, and now, perhaps June 29th. Or is it never happening? Here’s what this MMA insider believes.

Conor McGregor, did people assume too much?

Conor McGregor and his great return has been elongated for far too long. Now, MMA insider Josh Thompson believes that the Irishman is not actually going to return this year. On an episode of his YouTube show, ‘Weighing In,’ Thomson and ‘Big’ John McCarthy spoke about his return.

“Yeah I think people are assuming that Conor is going to come back and fight Michael Chandler,” said Thompson. “I don’t think we’re gonna see Conor this year. I don’t think we’re gonna see Conor this year. Like Dana came out the other day and goes look you know when Conor’s ready, you know we’ll see Conor”.

Assumptions have gone wild. McGregor’s return at UFC 300 was heavily rumored since his samples were submitted to the USADA in October. So, it only made sense that his samples being analyzed 6 months prior could set him up for a return in April.

However, McGregor shocked the world just as the new year clocked in by announcing a middleweight bout with Michael Chandler on June 29th. But Dana White has nothing to say about it. As Thomson pointed out, White told reporters in a recent press conference that he would know it when McGregor was really about to come back. As of right now, the UFC head honcho’s answer is a resounding “no.” So, does that mean McGregor’s antics are a bit too much for White himself?

Should Dana White talk to McGregor about the wild announcement?

Clearly, White was not in the loop when Conor McGregor announced his middleweight bout on the 1st of January. And since then, media houses have all been riled up speculating his return and Dana White had to deal with all the questions. While dealing with questions is a big part of his job, does it become a bother to control the showman’s wild announcements? Veteran MMA coach, Ray Longo, believes White should do something about it all.

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In a recent conversation with Jon Anik and Kenny Florian, Longo claimed that his announcements were more “bravado” than anything else. He believed that perhaps White should step in and give out an ultimatum to perhaps try and control the UFC’s biggest fighter’s showmanship. Even so, would it be beneficial to actually do so? The UFC boss believes in “free speech” according to his own words, and controlling a man literally titled ‘The Notorious’ seems a bit out of reach. What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments.

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