Conor McGregor is making headlines as he sets his sights on one of the most unusual and historic fight cards in UFC history. Following a long layoff after a broken leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, the former two-division champion has been training and is eager to make a comeback. UFC president Dana White revealed that he and McGregor have been in constant contact, emphasizing the fighter’s commitment and excitement. White also confirmed McGregor reentered the USADA testing pool, requiring six months of clean tests to compete.
McGregor’s Return Plans Take Shape
“So … Conor says he’s coming back,” White said when asked about McGregor. “He’s in the pool. He’s doing his thing. All kinds of footage of him training. He wants to fight on this White House card. We’ll see. I mean, we won’t start building that card until February.”
White later added:
“He and I have been talking nonstop. And he’s like, ‘I’m dead serious. I want this. I’m training, I’m back in the pool, I’m doing all the s–t.’ So we’ll see. We’ve still got a long way to go. We still got a long way to go til February when we start making this card. We’ll see how it plays out.”
While McGregor initially made headlines with his brief presidential ambitions in Ireland, White noted the fighter is focused on the UFC return. However, McGregor’s political profile continues to attract attention.
“All polling says he’s going to win by a landslide,” White said. “All polling says he’s going to crush the election. So they’re doing everything they can to keep him off the ballot.”
This dual narrative underscores McGregor’s unique position as both a global combat sports figure and a public personality with political influence.
White emphasized the scale and spectacle of the White House card, aiming to create one of the largest and most ambitious UFC shows ever.
“What I want to do is build the best card we’ve ever built, just make people go crazy,” he said. “Live and free on CBS from the White House. For the people! Even people in other countries are gonna want to see it. And the way we’re doing this thing? When we shoot this fight, this whole backdrop will be the White House. And when the cameras move over and it’s shot this way, it’s all Washington Monument on this side.”
White added details about the massive live setup, revealing:
“There’s a park that’s connected to the White House that will have 85,000 people there with big screens, concerts, UFC X there. We’re going to take over D.C.”
The planned UFC White House card could set new benchmarks for live MMA events in terms of audience size and global viewership, cementing the UFC’s presence in mainstream sports entertainment.
