During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, the UFC CEO cited McGregor’s recovery from a broken leg and the Irishman’s wealth as the primary culprits as to why the former two-division champion doesn’t yet have a date for his next fight.
McGregor suffered badly broken leg in his last Octagon appearance, a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Dublin native coached opposite Michael Chandler on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” last year, but so far, nothing has been confirmed regarding a potential meeting between the two.
“First of all, he is coming back from one of the nastiest injuries you can come back from,” White said. “How long was Anderson Silva out when he did it? How long was Chris Weidman out when he did it? The guys who break that bone [are out a long time], so that’s an issue right there, No. 1. No. 2 is, Conor McGregor doesn’t need the f--ing money. So when you don’t need the money, it’s not as easy. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] doesn’t need the money – Khabib retired.”
Silva was sidelined for a little more than a year after breaking his leg in a December 2013 fight, while Weidman was out for more than two years after suffering a similar injury in 2021. As far as McGregor’s recovery, White was unable to offer any insight into the Irishman’s overall health.
“Only Conor knows,” White said. “These are questions for Conor McGregor, not me. I know he’s training. I don’t know what level of training he’s doing. I don’t know what level of kicking he’s doing right now. I don’t know any of that stuff. I need to know the guy’s in a full camp and he’s ready to go. Conor McGregor has a movie coming out. He’s got businesses that he’s built. It’s a completely different dynamic when you’re dealing with a guy that has this kind of money.”
McGregor teased a return in June against Chandler at middleweight, but that announcement was later disputed by White, who recently mentioned the fall as the current target for the ex-champ’s next fight.