Conor McGregor Says He’s in ‘Negotiations’ with UFC for Possible July Bout

Conor McGregor and the Ultimate Fighting Championship are still working on booking the former two-division champion for a fight this summer.

The Dublin native was a special guest at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Chicago on Saturday, where he spoke to news outlet ABC7 Chicago about his future.

“We’re currently in negotiations,” McGregor said. “We’re aiming for July – we’ll see what happens. I am staying ready. This morning I was doing incline sprints on the treadmill on my program, the McGregor F.A.S.T. program, staying in a hotel room. So we’re staying on it, getting work in as we go.”

The SBG Ireland representative was initially linked to a lightweight bout with Donald Cerrone at UFC 239 during International Fight Week on July 6, and McGregor’s mention of “negotiations” could indicate that matchup is still in the works. However, the “Notorious” apparently balked at being booked as the co-main event. The promotion also initially reportedly considered booking McGregor vs. Cerrone in April.

"Conor won't fight unless it's a main event," Cerrone recently told ESPN. "I don't know if it's an ego thing or a status thing for him. I don't give a s---. I'll fight anyone, anywhere, and I stand by that all the time. I guess he's a prima donna and only takes main event spots. I don't know.”

During the brief interview with ABC7, McGregor’s recent arrest for allegedly stealing and destroying a man’s cell phone outside a Miami nightclub was not addressed.

“It’s great to be here, a young Irish man, and treated with such respect. It’s breathtaking for me and I’m very happy to be here,” McGregor said at the beginning of the interview.