Conor McGregor is back in the rumor mill again, which in MMA usually means one thing. Everybody starts acting like a fight is booked because somebody important sounded hopeful near a microphone. This time it was Dana White, who said he still believes McGregor will return to the UFC, even though the actual deal is not close. That is the news. Not a booking. Not an opponent. Not a done date. Just confidence, which is nice, but confidence does not walk to the cage.
Speaking after UFC Seattle, White was asked about the growing noise around McGregor possibly returning this summer. He did not exactly pour cold water on it, but he also did not pretend the machine was already running. White said, “Possibly.” He followed that by saying, “Nothing’s done. Nothing’s even remotely close to being done. Yes [we’d like him to fight in July].”
That is about as clear as this story gets right now. The UFC likes the idea of a July return. McGregor wants back in. The paperwork still looks like a ghost.
The timing of the buzz is not random. McGregor has already been tied to major 2026 comeback chatter, including our earlier coverage when Dana White addressed McGregor’s suspension and possible UFC comeback timeline. His name has also been floating around all kinds of fantasy matchmaking because that is what happens when the biggest star in the sport has not fought in years and still hijacks the entire news cycle anyway.
🚨 Dana White says they’re targeting August for Islam Makhachev’s next fight
When asked if Conor McGregor is fighting in July:
“Possibly. Nothing’s done. Nothing’s even remotely close to being done. I am [optimistic].” 👀 pic.twitter.com/Xuk2TPQCa3
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 29, 2026
The confidence is real, but the fight business is still a mess
White also made it clear he has not backed off his belief that McGregor eventually returns. He said, “I was pretty optimistic at the end of last year [that Conor was going to fight again].” Then he added, “End of last year, going into this year, I’m still confident.” That is useful because it tells you the UFC boss has not quietly shelved the idea. It does not tell you the comeback is locked, and that difference matters.
McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in 2021. Since then, his return has been dragged through every possible delay, including the broken toe that scrapped the planned Michael Chandler fight in 2024. That matchup still hangs over the whole story because it was the obvious payoff for a long promotional build, and Chandler has kept talking like the door is not fully closed. We covered that already when Michael Chandler predicted he could still end up fighting McGregor at the White House and again when McGregor reacted after Dana White dismissed the Chandler fight for that card.
Now another name is floating around. Max Holloway has reportedly entered the rumor cycle as a possible option, which would at least give people something fresh to yell about. That angle has already shown up in our own coverage after Ariel Helwani reported McGregor was expected back on July 11 with Holloway discussed as a possible opponent. Holloway has also spoken openly about the idea before, including in our report on why he thinks a McGregor fight would be massive.
So yes, McGregor may fight again in 2026. He may even end up on a huge summer card if the UFC gets its act together and the numbers make sense. But today’s update is not that the return is official. It is that the world’s most exhausting maybe is still, somehow, a maybe.
