Conor McGregor has claimed that he will make his long-awaited return to the UFC at their White House event next year.
The Irish MMA star has not stepped foot inside the octagon since July 2021, where he suffered a horror leg break against American fighter Dustin Poirier.
McGregor was set to face rival Michael Chandler last summer but, after months of fight build-up, was forced to pull out of the bout due to a toe injury.
While many fans have given up hope of McGregor making, yet another, comeback to the sport, it appears as though he’s dangled the carrot in front of them once again.
Speaking at a press conference for a Bare Knuckle FC event – a promotion which McGregor is a co-owner of – the Irishman revealed the stunning news.
He said: ‘It’s looking like I’m headed to the Oval Office again. That’s where I’m headed next’. His statement was met by a round of applause from fans in attendance.
Conor McGregor has claimed that he will make his UFC return at their White House event
McGregor, 36, has not fought in the UFC in four years and has previously claimed he’s retired
President Donald Trump recently revealed plans to host a UFC event on the White House lawn
McGregor’s claim comes just days after he posted on X claiming that he was keen to feature on the White House card.
He wrote: ‘Accuracy is final. I’ve most KO’s of all by a long shot and I’ve been chilling on my yachts the last 4 years.
‘To return at the White House with my sniper accuracy would be a very intriguing offer and would bring me back in to focus on my return correctly’.
President Donald Trump announced that he wants a card to take place at the White House during America’s 250th birthday next July – which lead to McGregor’s interest.
As part of his victory lap after Congress passed his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, Trump mentioned ways that the United States would celebrate its 250th birthday next July.
Among the programming would be a mixed martial arts event inside The Octagon steps from the Oval Office.
‘And I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight… Does anybody watch UFC and the great Dana White?’ Trump asked the crowd of MAGA faithful.
‘We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight,’ Trump continued. ‘Think of this – on the grounds of the White House.’
The 36-year-old was invited to the White House back in March to mark St. Patrick’s Day
McGregor posed for a photograph with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth during his tour of the White House
McGregor has publicly backed Trump and even attended his inauguration in January
‘We have a lot of land there,’ he continued. ‘We’re going to build a little – we’re not, Dana’s going to do it, Dana’s great, one of a kind – we’re going to have a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20-25,000 people.’
MMA fans were not thrilled of the idea of a UFC card on the White House grounds, especially after a resurfaced clip of White showed his disdain for mixing sports with politics.
McGregor previously made a visit to the White House back in March, to mark St. Patrick’s Day, and he used his platform to fire shots at Ireland’s Prime Minister.
He claimed that rampant immigration was leading to Ireland ‘potentially losing its Irishness’.
In the days that followed his remarkable visit to Washington, the 36-year-old lifted the lid on his interactions, claimed to have had ‘productive meetings’ with senior officials and sported the lesser-seen ‘Make Ireland Great Again’ cap.
One post that followed his visit contained images of a meeting with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth. McGregor wrote: ‘Tremendously productive meeting!’
McGregor suffered a broken leg in his bout against American star Dustin Poirier back in 2021
UFC legend Jon Jones also claimed that he’d return to the sport to feature at the White House
Meanwhile, along with McGregor, UFC legend Jon Jones has teased a comeback to the sport amid interest in the same White House event next year.
Last week, the 37-year-old took to social media to claim he had re-entered the company’s drug-testing pool, just two weeks after calling time on his career.
UFC President Dana White had previously revealed Jones’ intent to hang up his gloves and confirmed that a fight against British star Tom Aspinall would not happen.
However, it seems that the prospect of featuring on a UFC card that would take place on the White House lawn has proved too tempting for Jones to ignore.
