Getty Conor McGregor & Nate Diaz
UFC president Dana White has given updates on some of mixed martial art’s biggest stars, specifically Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz and Jon Jones.
White was on “The Jim Rome Show” on Monday ahead of Saturday’s UFC 276 event in Las Vegas.
And during the UFC boss’ conversation with Rome, he was asked about McGregor’s return. “Notorious” has been sidelined for nearly a year after suffering a broken leg at UFC 264 in July 2021. McGregor recently said he was almost back to full MMA training. And last week, he hinted at potentially boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Well, White confirmed that Notorious will likely make his fighting comeback later this year or early next year. And it’ll be inside the Octagon, not in a boxing match with “Money.”
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin listened to Rome’s show live, and he reported on what White had said.
“Dana White says Conor McGregor is looking to come back at the end of 2022 or early 2023 but he’ll be fighting in the UFC, not a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather,” Martin tweeted.
White Said Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev Could Still Happen
When speaking with The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis last week, White was asked for his thoughts on Diaz potentially boxing Jake Paul. The question came at the heels of Diaz hinting interest in the possible match.
Diaz only has one fight left on his UFC contract and over the past few months, he’s made it clear that he’s going to test out free agency. However, Diaz hasn’t competed in over a year and has repeatedly taken to Twitter to air out his frustration with his inactivity.
White told Willis that Diaz “probably should go on and fight Jake Paul. That’s a fight that makes sense.”
And while discussing Diaz with Rome, the UFC president doubled down on his recent comment. However, Diaz will have to fulfill his contract with the promotion and that could be against Khamzat Chimaev.
Martin tweeted: “Dana White says ‘I could care less’ about a Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul fight but at this point in his career ‘I get it.’ He says Nate will fulfill his contract with the UFC first.”
“Dana White says Nate Diaz did accept a fight against Khamzat Chimaev at one point but for whatever reason the matchup didn’t come together,” Martin wrote. “He says that fight could still happen but nothing done for Nate just yet.”
Jones Is ‘Ready to Go’ Will Fight Either Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic
Fans have anticipated Jones’ heavyweight debut for nearly two years now. And according to White, the former light heavyweight king will compete against either current heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou or the former champ, Stipe Miocic.
“Dana White says Jon Jones is ‘ready to go’ – it’s either going to be Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic,” Martin reported.
Ngannou is expected to be out of action until late 2022 or early 2023 while he recovers from knee surgery. “The Predator” will also be a free agent, but he told Ariel Helwani in April that he wants to re-sign with the UFC as long as they allow him to box Tyson Fury.