“I’ve been saying for a while…” Dana White reacts after fully stacking 2023 fight cards without Conor McGregor return fight

UFC CEO Dana White talked about Conor McGregor's return and gives early 2024 as the most probable time frame for Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler fight.

“I’ve been saying for a while…” Dana White reacts after fully stacking 2023 fight cards without Conor McGregor return fight

Dana White and Conor McGregor(Image courtesy : IMAGO)

UFC CEO Dana White surprised the MMA audience by announcing UFC cards 295 and 296. These cards will include the likes of Jon Jones, Alex Pereira, Colby Covington, and many more big names. However, many fans expected the UFC superstar Conor McGregor to appear on these cards. But, with the announcement of the year-end cards, McGregor will most probably make his return in the year 2024. In an interview at Dana White’s Contender Series, White shared his opinion on the fight between McGregor and Michael Chandler.

White said, “I’ve got nothing on either one of those guys right now. I mean I’ve been saying for a while, next year is when Conor’s gonna fight. And then obviously, you know, if Chandler gets antsy we’ll figure something out. Chandler’s got a bunch of money, he’s saying it out with his family. And when the time is right for the Conor fight, I’m sure that’s the fight he wants. I’m not speaking for him. I’m just assuming.”

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There were speculations surrounding Conor’s return in December 2023. However, the Irishman faced issues from the USADA testing pool. This could be one of the reasons for pushing the McGregor-Chandler bout. Nevertheless, White has assured UFC fans that they’ll see Conor competing again in early 2024.

The fans are excited to see the Irishman back in the octagon after being out injured for almost two years. His previous appearance came against Dustin Poirier in a trilogy matchup at UFC 264. The fight ended in the first round after Conor suffered a brutal leg injury.

Related: “Pushing the Irish kid fast” – Dana White adds more fuel to fiery UFC 296 card by announcing Ian Garry fight against dangerous welterweight contender

Dana White reacts to Israel Adesanya’s drunk driving charges

UFC CEO Dana White has spoken out on the drunk driving incident which involved former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Recently, Adesanya pled guilty to a drunk-driving charge in his home country, New Zealand. Reports suggest that the ‘The Last Stylebender’ was way beyond the legal limit of alcohol consumption during driving. But, the talking point was that this incident occurred 23 days before the Sean Strickland fight.

Dana White and Israel Adesanya(Image courtesy: Sports Brief)

In a statement online, Adesanya apologized for his action. White responded to the incident by calling it “bad decisions.” White believes it was Adesanya’s bad call to drive in such a condition. However, the UFC CEO hoped that the former champ would take his lessons from the incident never to repeat it.

After the Sean Strickland fight, White hinted about booking Adesanya’s potential rematch. But nothing can be confirmed as the middleweight division keeps on surprising the MMA audience.

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