How close was Conor McGregor to featuring in UFC 300? Latest update on the Irishman's return

Conor McGregor's next fight has been a hot-button topic in the MMA community since his last octagon appearance. 'The Notorious' hasn't competed since July 2021.

That said, he returned to serve as a coach on the UFC's TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) Season 31. The consensus has been that the Irishman's long-awaited comeback fight would see him face rival TUF coach and UFC lightweight contender, Michael Chandler.

McGregor, Chandler, and UFC CEO Dana White have consistently maintained that the matchup is on the cards for the former's UFC comeback. Regardless, the highly-anticipated fight failed to materialize in 2023. Many attributed that failure to McGregor's dispute with the UFC's then-drug testing partner, USADA.

Furthermore, heading into 2024, speculation abounded that the UFC was looking to book McGregor's return for its landmark centenary event, UFC 300 (April 13, 2024).

However, on New Year's Eve 2024, McGregor signaled otherwise in an announcement video. 'The Notorious' indicated that his comeback fight would be a middleweight bout against Chandler at the UFC's PPV on June 29, 2024 (i.e., at UFC 303).

In the ensuing weeks, McGregor outlined his plans to face Chandler on June 29, fight Nate Diaz at UFC 306 (Sept. 14, 2024) at The Sphere in Las Vegas, and then box Manny Pacquiao in Dec. 2024. None of these matchups have been announced by the UFC.

Besides, during his latest appearance on Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry, Dana White touched upon Conor McGregor's UFC return. White alluded to McGregor's Hollywood debut, the 'Road House' (2024) movie. The UFC boss highlighted that 'The Notorious' has been incredibly busy with the promotional obligations for the movie.

White opined that the movie promotion duties likely kept McGregor out of UFC 300, an opinion 'The Notorious' disagreed with. White further implied that the UFC megastar would resume training soon. The UFC CEO said:

"There's no lack of communication, not at all. He has obligations right now to promote his movie. This is an obligation he has to do."

Check out White's comments below:

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Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler provide positive updates on UFC matchup

Dana White recently seemed to indicate that Conor McGregor's return won't come to fruition in the summer, adding that he'd probably fight no sooner than the fall (September-November) of 2024. In an interview with ESPN MMA's Marc Raimondi earlier this month, Conor McGregor seemingly affirmed a summer return, saying:

"Yeah, we got confirmation a few days ago that it's all systems go, and 'The Notorious' will be returning in the UFC octagon this summer."

Check out McGregor's comments below:

Meanwhile, Michael Chandler spoke to TMZ Sports and asserted that the official status of his showdown against Conor McGregor is that they're definitely "fighting this summer." 'Iron' emphasized that he can't reveal the date but there's an official agreement between them for the clash.

Nevertheless, the UFC hasn't officially announced the potential contest's date and weight class yet.

Watch Chandler address the topic below: