Three days. That’s how long it took for the latest Conor McGregor comeback rumors to fall apart.
On Thursday, Dana White told Jim Rome he was “extremely confident” McGregor would return this summer, claiming negotiations were in a “great place.” Shortly after, Ariel Helwani reported that an official announcement was less than 24 hours away. But UFC 328 in Newark came and went with no announcement.
By the post-fight press conference, the outlook turned even more grim. McGregor, now 37, hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. After a nearly five-year layoff defined by empty hype, this Saturday felt like a repeat of the same old story.
Dana White Walks Back Conor McGregor Return Optimism at UFC 328 Post-Fight Press Conference
The gap between White’s Tuesday confidence and Saturday’s clarification was hard to miss. When asked about McGregor at the UFC 328 post-fight press conference, the UFC boss still claimed to be optimistic, but reporters noticed a clear shift in his tone.
He said, “There is no deal done with Conor. I was just saying I’m confident. I was confident last year, too, but I’m way more confident this year.”
‼️Dana White says there is NO deal done with Conor McGregor
via @ufc pic.twitter.com/59e29bAqJg
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) May 10, 2026
Being “confident” isn’t the same as having a contract. The UFC has played this game before. Last October, McGregor told Sean Hannity his White House fight was “signed and delivered,” only for Dana White to immediately shut it down at UFC 320, saying negotiations hadn’t even started.
Now it’s May, and the White House card is just weeks away on June 14. At UFC 328, White tried to ease financial concerns, noting that UFC has a formula in place under its new $7.7 billion Paramount broadcast deal to compensate elite fighters fairly and that “McGregor’s going to do just fine.”
That deal eliminated the traditional PPV points structure, which directly affected McGregor’s expected earnings from a comeback fight. The money angle has always been central to the negotiations.
Conor McGregor’s Long Layoff and Repeated False Starts Put UFC’s Star Power Problem in Focus
The delay has real consequences beyond one fight. McGregor (22-6) hasn’t stepped inside the Octagon in nearly five years. His last three fights were all losses, two to Poirier and one to Khabib Nurmagomedov. At 37, with a surgically repaired leg and a reported 18-month USADA suspension now cleared, the physical question marks are real even if nobody says them out loud.
Meanwhile, the UFC is pushing new stars. UFC 328 headlined Khamzat Chimaev against Sean Strickland, while the upcoming White House card centers on Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria.
McGregor recently mocked these fighters as “spin-offs.” Amusing, but it underlined that nobody in the current roster moves the needle the way McGregor does. That’s exactly why this contract is taking so long to close. Both sides know the leverage and neither appears ready to blink.
