Dana White Says Conor McGregor's Next Fight Isn't Close

UFC President Dana White has said "nothing is close" in regard to Conor McGregor agreeing his next fight, with more than a year having passed since his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

ESPN's Brett Okamoto spoke to White at UFC 244 on Saturday and was told the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion isn't near an agreement:

Tariq Panja of the New York Times wrote in October that a second sexual assault case in less than 12 months had been opened against McGregor, both of which are said to have occurred in his hometown of Dublin.

White spoke to BT Sport at UFC 244 and remarked upon speculation of a return bout against veteran Donald Cerrone:

McGregor (21-4) has competed in two UFC events since November 2016. His most recent victory was the second-round stoppage of Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, when he won the UFC lightweight title to become the promotion's first simultaneous two-weight champion.

Jorge Masvidal clinched the BMF belt on Saturday, beating Nate Diaz thanks to a doctor's stoppage following the third round.

Gamebred appeared on ESPN's First Take prior to UFC 244, telling Stephen A. Smith that White deemed Masvidal "too much man" for McGregor when asked about a potential meeting with the Irishman:

The Notorious remains 12th in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings despite fighting twice in three years (1-1), though his stock among the public has been affected during his time away. Forbes writer Trent Reinsmith questioned why the UFC would want to invest resources in the 31-year-old given the question marks over his future:

McGregor pleaded guilty to one charge of assault on Friday and was fined €1,000 (£861) in relation to an incident in April, when he punched a man in a Dublin pub, per BBC Sport.

White's response to Okamoto—considering other ongoing investigations—suggested more clarity is needed before any decisions are made on McGergor's stalled UFC career.