Conor McGregor won’t return in 2024. This sent a humongous shockwave through the fighting community, as the entire world was waiting to witness the Irish fighter’s epic comeback. After disappointing the fight fans with a broken pinky toe, McGregor left his opponent, Michael Chandler hanging around the corner. And the question that bothered every single soul was ‘When will McGregor return?’

The ‘Mystic Mac’ had been eyeing to return to the Octagon in December. He hinted at it while responding to fight fans’ comments on social media, as well as directly taking to X and sharing his plans for December 2024. In a now-deleted tweet, McGregor wrote, “THE UFC LOVE AND WANT ME FOR DECEMBER! I AM READY.” Chandler had also taken up the chance to hype the matchup as he tweeted, “December it is,” followed by a handshake emoji. However, things definitely weren’t going as the fighters had planned.

Conor McGregor’s December run that never materialized!

During a press conference for DWCS season 8, one of the reporters asked the UFC CEO if he had come in contact with McGregor when the two were in the same town, and whether they discussed anything about the Irishman’s return. White admitted that he talked with ‘The Notorious’, although they didn’t meet in person. But he didn’t approve of the fight happening in December. He sternly replied, “Not this year. He won’t fight this year.” Instead, he pointed at a timeline that highlighted early 2025.

And as expected, the Irish mixed martial artist was not happy with White’s response. Taking to X, the former 2-division champion wrote, “Ah Dana, December is the date! Bring the calendar year home with a winning event! Come on now, what’s this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. DECEMBER! Tell Dana and UFC WE WANT DECEMBER! WE DESERVE DECEMBER!” And yet again, the Dubliner decided to delete the tweet. 

In a conversation with SportsNet, the UFC head honcho revealed that McGregor blew up his phone after his words dismissing the Irishman’s plans to return in December 2024 went viral on the internet. Needless to say, the ‘Mystic Mac’ promised to fight at the end of the year. But White seemed adamant in his decision. He claimed, “As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year. Conor saying he wants to fight in December, we’ll see what happens.”

McGregor’s return experienced yet another blow when Chandler got booked for a fight against Charles Oliveira at the co-main event of UFC 309. ‘Iron’ didn’t back away from lashing out at McGregor as he announced the fight. However, he did assure the fighting community that ‘The Notorious’ would definitely face him whenever he makes a comeback to the UFC. Left without a date and opponent, the Dubliner panicked and even sought help from Sheikh Turki Alalshikh in his desperation. All he needed was assurance of a fight with a fixed date. 

There was a time when McGregor’s name appeared wherever UFC 310 was mentioned. But with Chandler fighting at UFC 309, the date simply wouldn’t give Chandler enough time to heal and recover. This was confirmed when White announced the cards for UFC 310. No doubt, McGregor wasn’t there in any of the cards. But the UFC boss had a plan for the Irish superstar.

Dana White hints at ‘The Notorious’s return in 2025

White ensured a massive surge in the fighting community when he announced that he had news about McGregor and a few other fighters coming up pretty soon. While he had previously refused to entertain the fans with McGregor’s fight in December 2024, the upcoming year was absolutely open. 

Talking to the New York Post Sports, the UFC head honcho announced, “Conor McGregor will fight next year, early 2025, and as far as he’s had so much time off, as far as the hunger, he’s a very wealthy guy, we’ll find out when he comes back but he is definitely one of the big superstars of the sport that has elevated the UFC throughout Europe and other parts of the world, he’s been a big star and a great partner for us.”

The former UFC contender and MMA expert, Chael Sonnen further solidified White’s stance regarding the Irishman’s return. ‘The American Gangster’ claimed that McGregor wanted to fight at 170 lbs at the T-Mobile Arena, against Chandler. Even the big guns at the MMA promotion wanted the same things. But the catch was the UFC wanted the fight to happen “in January in California.”

Now, all that the fight fans think about is who will land against McGregor when he finally makes his epic comeback into the UFC. Well, let’s shine some light on his next probable opponents. 

Who will Conor McGregor fight in early-2025?

When he announced his fight against ‘Do Bronx’ at UFC 309, ‘Iron’ claimed that he would be the first fighter to go up against McGregor when he returned. After all, the world of mixed martial is still waiting for The Ultimate Fighter season 31 to conclude with a showdown between the coaches. But there are a few other names that have come up as potential opponents for the Irishman. 

Conor McGregor’s beef with Nate Diaz is something that has yet to reach a conclusion with a trilogy. The duo faced each other for the first time at UFC 196, where the Stockton native submitted McGregor in the second round. It was indeed the first-ever defeat that the ‘Mystic Mac’ faced in the UFC. They fought once again at UFC 202. This time around, McGregor rose victorious with a unanimous decision. But who’s the better fighter? Only a third bout can help decide that. 

And that’s what Coach John Kavanagh thinks. In a conversation with Lucky Block, the coach said, “But if we’re just talking hypothetically and we’re talking about a wishlist, it’d be to do that one a third time. Nate is a great fighter. I think the two of them just match up really well and it’s 1-1 so you kind of need to have the decider.”

Dustin Poirier is also in the picture when it comes to McGregor’s return. The duo last fought back in UFC 264, when the Irishman broke his leg. This was the bout that sent the former UFC double champion into a long hiatus. But not too long ago, ‘The Diamond’ dropped a hint at fighting McGregor before finally hanging his gloves for good. 

On top of that, Max Holloway has been eyeing a bout against ‘The Notorious’ for quite some time now. Following his last-second KO victory at UFC 300, ‘Blessed’ revealed, “I mean it’d be hard to not say with him finally getting it announced that he’s actually fighting, to be Conor McGregor 2, to run that back. That’s the hugest fight I think.” Apart from the said fighters, McGregor can also be expected to fight Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje upon his return.

Nevertheless, the ‘Mystic Mac’ asked the UFC to organize a collaboration with BKFC for his second bout. McGregor has just 2 fights left in his UFC contract. While he is set to go up against Chandler following his return, the opponent for his final UFC bout is yet to be revealed. 

Who do you think will fight McGregor next? Will the Irish fighter win his upcoming bouts? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.