Conor McGregor will not fight at UFC White House, predicts former MMA star

A former UFC title contender isn’t sold on Conor McGregor fighting on the White House card.

McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021, yet UFC continues to use him to market the promotion’s debut on Paramount+. The “Notorious” one is the biggest name to ever compete in UFC and he has vowed to fight again. It hasn’t happened since he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight.

A lot has happened in the world of MMA since McGregor last fought. That includes Poirier’s retirement. If the Irishman does return, Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe it’ll be on the UFC White House card. He shared that prediction when speaking to Daniel Cormier during an episode of “Good Guy/Bad Guy” (h/t MMAJunkie).

“I do not believe that Conor makes it to the White House,” Sonnen said. “Let’s just live with that theory, though: Will Conor be able to manipulate the media even after he doesn’t make it? He has pretended that he’s coming back for five years. If the White House comes and goes, can he pretend, ‘Oh, I didn’t come there, but you’ll see me in November, you’ll see me next January,’ or will that be the final ruse of McGregor?”

Cormier shared a different take than his colleague. The UFC Hall of Famer actually believes that McGregor needs to be on the historic card unless he’s actually done with pro MMA competition.

“(If) he doesn’t go to the White House, it’s done,” Cormier said. “Because here’s the deal: Love it, hate it, love him, or hate him, the White House card is going to be the biggest card we’ve ever had, but it can only be the biggest card you will ever see if Conor McGregor is on the card. It will be a stacked card, it will be an amazing card, but the only way it’s the biggest card that we’ve ever seen is if Conor McGregor’s on it.”

McGregor has claimed that he will eventually meet Michael Chandler inside the Octagon. The two were scheduled to collide at UFC 303 back in June 2024, but McGregor suffered a toe injury and the bout was canceled.