Dana White addresses Conor McGregor's call for fight with Max Holloway

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 11: Conor McGregor of Ireland falls after sustaining an injury on a kick in the first around against Max Holloway of the United States in their welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images Conor McGregor tore his ACL. Last weekend, McGregor made his long-awaited return to the cage at UFC 329, where he rematched Max Holloway in the main event. Unfortunately, the bout ended before it ever really got started as McGregor injured his knee in the opening moments while throwing a jumping switch kick. And now we know exactly what he did to it. Speaking with reporters following UFC Oklahoma City, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that, as many speculated, McGregor tore his ACL. “ACL,” White said when asked about the injury. “His knee is f*cked up.” That is a tough blow for McGregor, who spent the past five years out of action, much of that time due to his catastrophic leg break against Dustin Poirier. McGregor previously mentioned he would need surgery on the knee, but a torn ACL means “Notorious” is likely looking at another nine months to a year on the shelf. Before UFC 329, McGregor mentioned that the UFC was targeting an April date for McGregor’s final fight on his current UFC contract; however, given this news, the earliest McGregor can fight is probably next summer. And for White, it’s so far out that any speculation about when or where is useless. “He’s having knee surgery. That’s it,” White said. “The Conor McGregor discussion isn’t even worth talking about. He’s got to have knee surgery. He’s going to have to go through physical therapy. It’s all going to take time. And then when the doctor says you can start hardcore training again, then we start talking about Conor McGregor again.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 09: Conor McGregor speaks with UFC President Dana White during a ceremonial weigh in for UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena on July 09, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images Dana White isn’t even thinking about Conor McGregor’s next fight. Last week, McGregor finally ended his five-year hiatus from MMA, taking on Max Holloway at UFC 329. It was supposed to be the first of two fights remaining on McGregor’s UFC deal, with the other likely to come in early 2027. Instead, everything fell apart. McGregor injured his knee while throwing a jumping switch kick in the opening moments of the bout and is likely looking at an extended layoff. Given that, the UFC CEO says he’s not putting any time into thinking about McGregor’s next comeback yet. “I’ve been traveling,” White told MMA Fighting when asked about McGregor’s timeline to return. “Listen, the Conor McGregor thing, Conor McGregor needs knee surgery. He’s going to be out. He’s going to have to go through physical therapy, and then there will be a point where his doctor says, ‘You’re able to go back and start training hardcore again.’ Until that time, it’s not even worth talking about.” While the extent of McGregor’s injuries remains unknown, the former two-division champion revealed this week that he requires surgery, with many speculating about an ACL tear. That could leave McGregor on the sidelines well past the UFC’s reportedly planned April date for McGregor’s final fight. And while McGregor already insisted his last fight needs to be a trilogy with Max Holloway to settle their business, Dana White isn’t playing that game right now. “He is absolutely getting knee surgery, and everybody in this sport knows the timeline and how that all plays out,” White said. “So any Conor McGregor questions or rematch questions don’t even make sense.”

Conor McGregor has no plans of walking away from fighting. The former two-division champion is planning another comeback after suffering a knee injury in the opening seconds of the UFC 329 main event on July 11. The Irishman faced former featherweight champion and former BMF titleholder Max ...

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 11: (L-R) Conor McGregor of Ireland touches gloves with Max Holloway in a welterweight fight during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Conor McGregor still has to undergo surgery for his injured leg after his comeback at UFC 329 ended in disaster but that didn’t stop him from already looking forward to his next return to action. On Friday, McGregor answered questions from fans on social media and despite the time off he’ll need to recover, the former two-division UFC champion made it clear that there’s only one opponent on his mind. “It has to be Holloway,” McGregor wrote. Of course, McGregor’s desire to settle that unfinished business is understandable considering the first kick he threw in the fight ended with him blowing out his knee. The fight lasted just 66 seconds and McGregor already stated that he believes the result should be changed to a no-contest. But McGregor’s wishes may not be granted because it’s just impossible to predict when he’ll be coming back to compete again and Holloway can’t just sit around waiting forever. “Not even thinking about it,” UFC CEO Dana White told Spinnin Backfist on Friday when asked about McGregor’s request. “Conor still has to have knee surgery and go through everything he’s going to have to go through. I understand he’s very unhappy with the way shit played out but you’re a human being, you’re older, you haven’t fought in five years and Father Time is undefeated. “So who the f*ck knows what’s going to happen with Max over the next year and what’s going to happen with Conor over the next year? Holloway already expressed interest in a third fight against McGregor but he obviously walked away unscathed and it’s highly unlikely he’ll just stay sidelined until the Irish superstar is ready to go again. If McGregor tore his ACL, he’s likely looking at anywhere from 9 to 12 months of recovery but there’s still no word on exactly how much damage he sustained in that fight at UFC 329. That’s why White doesn’t want to make any promises until McGregor is healthy again and tells the UFC he’s ready to go. “I don’t even think about that type of stuff until it becomes a reality,” White said. “When Conor reaches out and says ‘I finished all my physical therapy, I’m in a good place, they told me I can train full time now,’ we’ll start thinking about what’s next.” Outside of the fight itself, White also admitted he hasn’t put too much thought in the kind of promotion the UFC would use to build anticipation towards McGregor’s eventual return. McGregor’s comeback at UFC 329 already produced higher viewership numbers than the UFC White House card but the disappointing way his fight ended might make some fans stay away from his next fight. But White won’t even begin to speculate what the UFC plans to do with McGregor until he’s healthy and ready to fight again. For his part, McGregor definitely plans to compete again and he’s also celebrated that his next fight serves as the final bout on his current UFC contract. “I don’t know,” White said about McGregor’s future. “I’m not even thinking about any of that stuff. It’s so long and so far away, it doesn’t matter.”