Video: UFC's Dana White Thinks Conor McGregor Will Fight in 2019 or Early 2020

UFC President Dana White expects Conor McGregor to return to the Octagon later this year or early in 2020.

However, the Irishman will not automatically get a shot at the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov's lightweight title fight with Dustin Poirier, which takes place at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi.

"He'll either be back this year or early next year," White told TMZ Sports. "We'll see how this whole thing plays out in September."

White said McGregor will not get the winner of Nurmagomedov-Poirier but added, "It'll shake a lot of things up whoever wins that fight."

White also made it clear he does not want McGregor fighting at welterweight.

Per MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun, Jorge Masvidal has said he only wants welterweight champion Kamaru Usman or McGregor in his next fight after he secured the fastest-ever UFC victory via knockout over the previously undefeated Ben Askren at UFC 239.

But White ruled out the possibility that McGregor goes up in weight, as he did in two welterweight fights against Nate Diaz.

"There's plenty of fights for [Masvidal] in his weight division without Conor. He's too big for Conor," White said. "Conor doesn't belong in 170. He's got the balls to fight at 170, but he doesn't belong there. ... Hell no."

McGregor, 31, has not been in action since UFC 229 on October 6, when he lost just the fourth fight of his MMA career to Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas.

The Russian won via fourth-round submission to claim the UFC lightweight championship and take his professional record to 27-0.

In March, McGregor announced his retirement.

Despite initially wishing one of his star men well in the future, White told CNN barely two weeks later that McGregor "will fight again."