UFC president Dana White has admitted that the promotion currently has no plans for the return of Conor McGregor later this year.

Regardless of how much momentum a fighter may have in the promotion, there’s a good chance they’ll never reach the level of superstardom currently held by Conor McGregor. The Irishman has built a legacy for himself as the biggest name in mixed martial arts and that isn’t likely to be surpassed for many decades, if ever.

The last time we saw him inside the Octagon was back at UFC 264 last summer. On that night, he suffered a broken leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier, and he’s been on the shelf ever since.

The 33-year-old has been keeping fans updated with his progress and up to this point, things appear to have gone pretty smoothly.

McGregor is back in sparring and intends to return at some point in 2022 but as per Dana White in a recent interview, we may have to wait until autumn for it to happen.

“I literally have nothing for him right now, he’s not ready. The whole landscape could change over the summer. We’ll see when he’s ready to fight. And when the doctor gives him 100 percent clearance we’ll start looking at possible opponents.”

“We’re looking at early fall if everything goes right. If his leg heals right and he gets the clearance to really start training, then possibly early fall.”

Who will McGregor face?

It truly is anyone’s guess as to who Conor McGregor will fight but there are definitely some options that stand out among the rest.

Conor has made it crystal clear in the past that he wants to try and make history by becoming the UFC’s first ever three-weight world champion. After a few call-outs of Kamaru Usman, quite a few fans are starting to believe a match-up between them could transpire.

Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz and the winner of Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje are also in the mix too, with an outside contender being Rafael dos Anjos - the man McGregor was supposed to face for the 155-pound belt many years ago.