Conor McGregor's Return Addressed by Dana White After UFC 328 as White House Freedom 250 Approaches

The UFC is gearing up for a huge summer headlined by the Freedom 250 card at the White House on June 14, but it sounds like another major event remains up in the air.

UFC star Conor McGregor has been rumored to be making his long-awaited return this summer. However, during the UFC 328 post-fight press conference on Saturday, UFC president Dana White made it clear that while he's "confident" McGregor will fight in 2026, nothing is official just yet.

"There's no deal done with Conor," White said, per Uncrowned's Drake Riggs. "I was just saying I'm confident. I was confident last year, too, but I'm way more confident this year."

Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani previously reported that the UFC is targeting International Fight Week for McGregor to return in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 against Max Holloway. The Irishman hasn't fought since suffering a broken ankle in his second consecutive loss against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

Many have wondered how the UFC's deal with Paramount+ would affect McGregor's return, as he would no longer receive pay-per-view points under the new pay structure. However, White added that there's a new system in place that mitigates that concern.

"There's a formula to it. McGregor's going to do just fine," White said. "It's based on if you take the average of his pay-per-view buys, and what they do, there's an equation for that that you can — we've done it with a lot more guys than just McGregor."