Dana White crushes expectations of Conor McGregor’s December UFC return, shares new timeline for fight against Michael Chandler

Dana White recently discussed the potential schedule for the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight.

McGregor and Chandler recently concluded the filming of Season 31 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' with the season finale airing last week.

The former two-division champion hasn't competed since a severe leg injury during his last fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021, and has been widely anticipated to face 'Iron' in his next match. 'The Notorious' previously unveiled a plan for three fights, commencing with a bout against Chandler at UFC 296 scheduled for December 16, 2023.

McGregor's intention to fight in December garnered attention, especially because he hasn't undergone any drug testing within the UFC's anti-doping program this year.

However, UFC president Dana White has dashed hopes of the Irishman's octagon comeback by the year's end. During a recent interview with Crain & Company, White unveiled an updated schedule for McGregor's bout against Michael Chandler.

"We're working on it [McGregor vs. Chandler]. Yeah, I mean obviously we're running the whole season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' and to not do that fight would be ridiculous. I'm hoping we can do it early next year."

Check out White's comments below:

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Dana White discusses if Mark Zuckerberg would face a UFC fighter in the octagon

Dana White disclosed that Mark Zuckerberg is enthusiastic about demonstrating his MMA skills in the UFC octagon.

The Meta CEO and Elon Musk have hinted at the possibility of participating in an MMA fight. While Zuckerberg has displayed dedicated training in BJJ and MMA in recent years, Musk has admitted to a less regular training routine, citing injuries that have even required surgical intervention.

Elon Musk suggested a "practice match" at Mark Zuckerberg's home in Palo Alto, California, causing 'Zuck' to hint that Musk's interest in an actual fight might not be genuine. The probability of a fight between Zuckerberg and Musk seems very low at this point. However, according to Dana White, Zuckerberg is open to competing in the UFC.

During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, the UFC president stated:

"Anything is possible. And I would say, [Zuckerberg] is absolutely interested in [fighting in the UFC]. TMZ is not wrong, I did talk to the people from [Italy's] Ministry of Culture and they were interested in doing the fight so that is absolutely true."

Check out White's comments below (from 2:02):