UFC's Dana White Expects Conor McGregor to Fight This Summer Following Leg Injury

Dana White believes Conor McGregor will be back in the Octagon at some point this year—perhaps as soon as the summer.

"He's doing all the right things with his leg. I'm hoping he can come back this summer," White told TMZ Sports. 

McGregor has been out of action since July when he broke his tibia in the first round of his UFC 264 fight against Dustin Poirier.

While McGregor is the most famous face in MMA, he's lost two straight fights against Poirier and three of his past four overall. He's clearly not been the same fighter since his 2017 knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather in McGregor's pro boxing debut.

A win against an overmatched Donald Cerrone is McGregor's only triumph in MMA since that fight. Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in their hyped UFC 229 bout, and Poirier dominated their UFC 257 clash that set up the rematch at UFC 264. While McGregor seemingly had a better strategy for his rematch against Poirier, it's been more than five years since he was the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter.

Not that McGregor's waning skills matter all that much to White, who knows the Irishman remains his promotion's biggest draw. Once McGregor is fully cleared for a return to MMA, expect no hesitation from White in booking him for a pay-per-view main event.