On a Saturday night in Newark, after a card that had just concluded, the UFC's most visible voice quietly stepped back from a hope he had voiced only the day before. Dana White's cautious words about Conor McGregor, a former two-division champion who has been absent from the cage since 2021, remind us how often the sporting world leans forward on rumor and then waits for the paper to catch up. Nothing is signed, and the tension between a famous name and an unfinished negotiation is a familiar human pattern. What remains is a patient question about whether the promotion's calendar will one day
Dana White Walks Back McGregor Comeback Talk: 'There's No Deal Done'
There's no deal done with Conor.
Mark
Why does a single sentence from Dana White matter so much here?
Mimi
Because it came one day after he told Jim Rome that things were in motion for a summer return. Saturday in Newark, he said there's no deal done.
Luke
Worth noting that's a softening, not a reversal of the hope. He still says he's more confident than last year.
Mark
What's he confident about, though?
Luke
Unclear. The reporting doesn't say what changed, and White didn't explain it.
Mimi
He did talk about the contract, though, saying there's a formula built on the average of pay-per-view buys.
Luke
But no terms were shared. So we know a method exists, not what it produced for McGregor.
Mark
Is the relaxed tone meaningful?
Mimi
It's a contrast. In recent years he's been more dismissive or dodged McGregor questions.
Luke
That's the writer's read of his demeanor. It's an impression, not confirmation of anything.
Mark
And the schedule?
Mimi
No July or August numbered cards announced, International Fight Week is under ten weeks off, and attention shifts to UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
Luke
So the honest status is unknown: no date, no opponent, no confirmed deal.
Il Polso
- Dana White reversed his optimism about McGregor within a single day, shifting from 'wheels in motion' to 'there's no deal done.'
- A fighter absent since July 2021 has fans and the promotion anticipating a comeback that has no opponent, date, or announced terms.
- White pointed to a pay-per-view-based formula for McGregor's contract while refusing to disclose any figures.
- July and August numbered events remain unannounced, and the promotion's attention is pivoting toward UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, where McGregor is not expected.
- The silence leaves the comeback suspended, with the next signal expected to be whether a summer card carries his name.
On a Saturday night in Newark, after a card that had just concluded, the UFC's most visible voice quietly stepped back from a hope he had voiced only the day before. Dana White's cautious words about Conor McGregor, a former two-division champion who has been absent from the cage since 2021, remind us how often the sporting world leans forward on rumor and then waits for the paper to catch up. Nothing is signed, and the tension between a famous name and an unfinished negotiation is a familiar human pattern. What remains is a patient question about whether the promotion's calendar will one day make room for a return that everyone seems to want.
On Saturday night in Newark, at the press conference following UFC 328, Dana White was asked about Conor McGregor and answered in a noticeably cooler tone than he had a day earlier. His words were simple: there is no deal done. The day before, he had told Jim Rome that McGregor was in motion to return this summer. In Newark he reframed that as personal confidence, saying he had felt good about it last year too, and that he feels more confident now. What changed, he did not explain.
McGregor has not fought since losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, and the sport has been waiting for his return ever since. When asked about the contract, White pointed to a formula based on the average of a fighter's pay-per-view buys, a method he said applies to many fighters. He gave no figures, no timetable, and no opponent, and he did not say whether McGregor intends to make fighting his priority. He seemed relaxed discussing the Irishman, a contrast to past dismissiveness.
The calendar offers little help. The UFC has not announced its July or August numbered events, and attention is turning to UFC Freedom 250, which begins a countdown at the White House. McGregor is not part of that plan. The promotion has long held announcements back to build demand, and McGregor is a name that sells anywhere. For now, nothing is signed or scheduled, and the next clue will be whether a summer card appears with his name on it.
On Saturday night in Newark, New Jersey, at the post-fight press conference for UFC 328, Dana White was asked about Conor McGregor and gave an answer noticeably cooler than the one he had offered a day earlier. His words were plain: there is no deal done.
The day before, White had told Jim Rome that the wheels were in motion for McGregor, the former two-division UFC champion, to return to the Octagon this summer. In Newark he recast that as confidence rather than a signed agreement. He said he was just saying he felt confident, that he had felt confident last year too, but that he is far more confident this year.
What has changed to produce that added confidence, White did not say, and the reporting does not make it clear. He also did not rule out a McGregor fight at some point in the rest of the calendar year.
McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. White, like much of the MMA world, has been waiting on his return since then. Asked about McGregor's contract, which is tied to the promotion's Paramount arrangement, White pointed to a formula. He said it is based on the average of a fighter's pay-per-view buys, that there is an equation for it, and that the UFC has applied it to many fighters besides McGregor. McGregor, he said, is going to do just fine. White offered no figures and did not describe the terms.
He also gave no timetable and no opponent, and he did not say whether McGregor intends to make fighting his priority. What did stand out was his demeanor. White seemed relaxed when talking about McGregor, in contrast to earlier occasions in recent years when questions about the Irishman drew dismissiveness or sidestepping.
The calendar offers little clarity. The UFC has not announced matchups for its numbered events in July or August, and International Fight Week is just under ten weeks away. With UFC 328 finished, the promotion's attention turns to UFC Freedom 250, which begins a month-long countdown from Washington, D.C., at the White House. McGregor is not part of those plans.
The UFC has a history of holding back announcements to maximize ticket sales and other inventory and keep fan interest high around a fight. McGregor is a name that can be sold anywhere, and the promotion knows it. For now, nothing is signed, nothing is scheduled, and the next signal will be whether a July or August card arrives with his name on it.
Citazioni salienti
There's no deal done with Conor. I was just saying I'm confident.— Dana White, UFC CEO
There's a formula to it. McGregor's going to do just fine.— Dana White, on McGregor's Paramount-based contract
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