The fate of Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC remains uncertain at this time. The former champion has been out of action since breaking his leg during a match against Dustin Poirier in 2020, though he did return as a coach in The Ultimate Fighter earlier this year. While he and Michael Chandler have yet to plan their bout, the question on everyone’s mind is when it will happen.

There has been little word on when McGregor will be ready to compete, but the fact that he left the USADA testing pool during his recovery means he will have to re-enter and remain in the pool for six months before he can participate once more. While reports in May suggested that he would return to the testing pool soon, there has been no confirmation of this as of yet.

UFC President Dana White has said that he is not concerned about McGregor’s return, but he also didn’t promise that the fight would happen before the end of the year. White told reporters that anything is possible in this business, and that fans don’t know how hard it can be to put fights together behind the scenes. Although McGregor has made a lot of money and doesn’t need to fight again, he does seem to be eager to return.

However, if McGregor changes his mind, or if the USADA barrier proves too high, White isn’t too worried. His team is always finding new talent and building them up to take on the level of fighters like Conor McGregor. In the end, it’s just business as usual, and the show will go on with or without McGregor’s return.