Dana White has brutally dismissed rumours that Conor McGregor has been ‘removed’ from the official UFC roster.
The 37-year-old UFC star hasn’t fought since suffering a crushing defeat to long-time rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. He was set to make his octagon comeback last year against Michael Chandler, but was forced to pull out of the match after sustaining an injury during training.
In recent months, McGregor has been seen ramping up his training regime amid talks of a potential UFC return. The Dubliner has expressed his keenness to step back into the octagon and has recently joined the drug testing programme.
This comes after US president Donald Trump’s announcement about his plans to host a UFC event at the White House.
However, fans were left worrying about McGregor’s potential comeback after UFC Roster Tracker claimed that the Irishman had been removed from the active roster. Usually, such a move would suggest a fighter was no longer with the organisation or had retired.
The report quickly spread across social media, and it wasn’t long before the UFC boss responded.
The UFC Roster Tracker, which operates independently from the promotion and monitors the company’s roster via UFC.com, sparked speculation about the status of the former two-division UFC champion. However, White was quick to dismiss these rumours on Thursday evening, stating “Total b*******,” beneath an Instagram report.
UFC journalist Ariel Helwani reached out to McGregor and his team, who also refuted the extraordinary claim. Posting on X – previously known as Twitter – Helwani wrote: “Conor McGregor HAS NOT parted ways the UFC. Both @TheNotoriousMMA and his team confirmed this to me. He also confirmed he is back in the pool, has submitted tests and all have come back clean. It’s all systems a go.”
McGregor, is planning a return to action next year, with a potential comeback possibly taking place on July 4, 2026. This follows White’s confirmation that the promotion’s planned visit to the White House is scheduled for the same date.
White revealed plans to meet with Trump and his daughter Ivanka at the end of the month to finalise the arrangements.
This would mark the first time a UFC fight card has been staged at the White House. “It is definitely going to happen,” White, a prominent supporter of the US president, told CBS television.
“I talked to him last night – ‘him’ being the president – and I’m flying out there at the end of this month, and I’m going to sit down and walk him through all the plans and the renderings, and we’re going to start deciding what he wants and doesn’t want.”
The UFC supremo added: “When he called me and asked me to do it, he said ‘I want Ivanka in the middle of this’. So Ivanka reached out to me, and her and I started talking about the possibilities, where it would be and, you know, I put together all the renderings.”
White isn’t ruling out the prospect of the Dubliner’s comeback, but he’ll insist his marquee fighter shows genuine commitment. “I mean, if you see, he’s been posting videos of himself training, he’s back in the pool now, he wants the White House fight,” White told Pardon My Take.
“Listen, if he starts getting in shape and starts training and stays the course, that’s the fight he wants, he keeps telling me he wants that fight so we’ll see how it plays out over the next few months.”
When is Conor McGregor’s next fight?
Following Trump’s announcement, numerous fighters were quick to embrace the idea and express their enthusiasm to feature on the card. It remains unclear whether McGregor will ever compete again, but he appears enthusiastic about the event.
In a social media post, the 37-year-old wrote: “Happy 4th of July, USA. Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House! I would be honoured! Count me in!”
White seems to be on board with the idea, following McGregor’s disclosure of a chat with the 55-year-old.
The Irish fighter sent several voice messages to the UFC head honcho, seemingly about the White House event, to which White replied: “I love it!” The 37-year-old then reiterated his position at a recent BKFC event, announcing: “It’s looking like I’m headed to the Oval Office again. That’s where I’m headed next.”
