Dana White: Conor McGregor Declined to Be Replacement vs. Ferguson at UFC 249

Conor McGregor could have competed for the interim lightweight title at UFC 249 but turned down the opportunity, UFC President Dana White said Tuesday on First Take:

The main event was scheduled to be a title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, but the former dropped out because of travel bans stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Justin Gaethje took his spot and earned a fifth-round knockout win over Ferguson in the May pay-per-view.

McGregor announced Sunday he was retiring from fighting.

"The game just does not excite me, and that's that," McGregor told Ariel Helwani of ESPN. "All this waiting around. There's nothing happening. I'm going through opponent options, and there's nothing really there at the minute. There's nothing that's exciting me."

McGregor has competed in only two UFC fights since 2016: a loss to Nurmagomedov in 2018 and a win over Donald Cerrone in January.

Many expected McGregor's return to the Octagon to feature a rematch against Khabib, but the lightweight champion is set to fight Gaethje in a unified title bout. White indicated that might not take place until September, though.

So, McGregor would have to wait an extended stretch to compete for a championship. It seems he missed his opportunity to get a belt last month.