UFC President Dana White has firmly stated that Conor McGregor WILL NOT be competing "anytime soon".
The Irish fighter was originally scheduled to make his highly anticipated comeback to the octagon last June for a matchup in Las Vegas against Michael Chandler, but the bout was cancelled after he suffered a broken left pinky toe.
Over the past year, McGregor has shown relatively little interest in fighting, instead focusing on an ambitious pursuit of political office in Ireland.
However, `The Notorious` appears to have recently regained his motivation to compete following a wave of fight announcements from UFC boss White.
He commented on X earlier this week, saying: "Wow! Real exciting times again in the UFC."
The UFC`s first champion in two weight classes simultaneously then posted on Instagram, tagging @DanaWhite and @TKOGRP: "call that big butt nurse. Let`s get this show started, UFC."
Reporter Adam Glyn questioned White this week about McGregor`s remarks regarding a potential comeback.
And the experienced promoter definitively shut down speculation about the promotion`s biggest star stepping back into the cage in the near future.
The 55-year-old commented: "He`s not fighting anytime soon. I haven`t talked to him in a minute.
"But yeah, I don`t know when [he`ll fight again]."
McGregor has not competed in the cage since July 2021, when he broke his left leg during his third fight against Dustin Poirier.
During his break from the octagon, the Irishman has also ventured into promoting, including acquiring shares in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
In March, McGregor suggested his fighting career might be nearing its end, stating he was content with his achievements.
However, he quickly reversed this stance just moments later, adding: "I hold every pay-per-view record in the book.
"I hold every gate record in the book.
"And my comeback will be slated as the greatest comeback or the biggest, most-anticipated comeback of all time.
"[But] right now Ireland is in my thoughts and that’s where I’m at.
"It will happen, I’m sure and it’s always great to be here and there you go.”
Should McGregor eventually return to fighting, his next appearance would be his first since a civil court found him liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin Hotel in December 2018.
Last month, the former two-division champion appealed the verdict handed down by Dublin`s High Court.
He hopes that presenting new evidence will overturn the result of the civil trial.
Percy Harlow