Dana White walks back on comments regarding Conor McGregor not fighting this year: “We’ll see how it plays out”

UFC CEO Dana White appears to walk back his comment that Conor McGregor won’t fight again this year.

On Tuesday after the Contender Series, White said that the Irishman won’t fight in 2024 after he had to pull out of his UFC 303 fight back in June due to a broken pinky toe.

“We talked and he wants to fight,” White said. “We’ll figure it out. Not this year. He won’t fight this year.”

After White’s comment, Conor McGregor took to social media to claim he wants to return in December and wants to be on the year-end pay-per-view.

“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!,” McGregor wrote on X.

Now, after Conor McGregor’s latest rant, Dana White spoke to Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter and is walking back on his previous comments, this while leaving the door open for the Irishman to fight in 2024.

Dana White reacts to Conor McGregor pleading for a December fight date:

"After I said that, Conor was blowing me up…

Conor's saying he wants to fight in December, we'll see how it plays out."

🎥 @Sportsnet #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/86TGZa6ulN

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 15, 2024

“You can imagine after I said that, Conor was blowing me up, I’m definitely fighting this year. When we get to a point where we are setting up a fight and I believe a Conor McGregor fight is gonna happen, I will announce it. As of right now, I do not believe Conor will fight this year. Conor’s saying he wants to fight in December, we’ll see how it plays out,” White said.

It will be interesting to see if McGregor does end up fighting this year as he is adamant he will while White isn’t as positive.

Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since July of 2021 when he broke his leg in the trilogy match against Dustin Poirier. Before that, he suffered a KO loss to Poirier in the rematch in January in his first fight in a year after knocking out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds.