Connect with us

MMA

Dana White responds to Conor McGregor saying his final UFC fight ‘has to be’ against Max Holloway

Published

10 hours ago

on

Dana White responds to Conor McGregor saying his final UFC fight ‘has to be’ against Max Holloway

Conor McGregor still has to undergo surgery for his injured leg after his comeback at UFC 329 ended in disaster but that didn't stop him from already looking forward to his next return to action.

“It has to be Holloway,†McGregor wrote.

Of course, McGregor's desire to settle that unfinished business is understandable considering the first kick he threw in the fight ended with him blowing out his knee. The fight lasted just 66 seconds and McGregor already stated that he believes the result should be changed to a no-contest.

But McGregor's wishes may not be granted because it's just impossible to predict when he'll be coming back to compete again and Holloway can't just sit around waiting forever.

“Not even thinking about it,†UFC CEO Dana White told Spinnin Backfist on Friday when asked about McGregor's request. “Conor still has to have knee surgery and go through everything he's going to have to go through. I understand he's very unhappy with the way shit played out but you're a human being, you're older, you haven't fought in five years and Father Time is undefeated.

“So who the f*ck knows what's going to happen with Max over the next year and what's going to happen with Conor over the next year?

Holloway already expressed interest in a third fight against McGregor but he obviously walked away unscathed and it's highly unlikely he'll just stay sidelined until the Irish superstar is ready to go again.

If McGregor tore his ACL, he's likely looking at anywhere from 9 to 12 months of recovery but there's still no word on exactly how much damage he sustained in that fight at UFC 329. That's why White doesn't want to make any promises until McGregor is healthy again and tells the UFC he's ready to go.

“I don't even think about that type of stuff until it becomes a reality,†White said. “When Conor reaches out and says ‘I finished all my physical therapy, I'm in a good place, they told me I can train full time now,' we'll start thinking about what's next.â€

Outside of the fight itself, White also admitted he hasn't put too much thought in the kind of promotion the UFC would use to build anticipation towards McGregor's eventual return.

McGregor's comeback at UFC 329 already produced higher viewership numbers than the UFC White House card but the disappointing way his fight ended might make some fans stay away from his next fight.

But White won't even begin to speculate what the UFC plans to do with McGregor until he's healthy and ready to fight again.

For his part, McGregor definitely plans to compete again and he's also celebrated that his next fight serves as the final bout on his current UFC contract.

“I don't know,†White said about McGregor's future. “I'm not even thinking about any of that stuff. It's so long and so far away, it doesn't matter.â€

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Ex-Amanda Nunes UFC title foe Irene Aldana no longer on roster

Published

7 hours ago

on

July 17, 2026

By

Ex-Amanda Nunes UFC title foe Irene Aldana no longer on roster

A combatant who battled Amanda Nunes for UFC gold is no longer a UFC contracted athlete. As reported by MMA Fighting, Irene Aldana is the fighter in question who will not be continuing her journey with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as of this juncture.

The Mexican standout has not competed since a Fall 2024 setback to Norma Dumont, but Aldana still remained in the top ten rankings for contenders at 135 pounds before her departure from the promotion. The 38-year-old debuted in the UFC on the heels of notching multiple first-round finishes via strikes inside the Invicta FC cage.

Aldana began her UFC run in a bit of an inauspicious fashion with back-to-back losses to Leslie Smith and Katlyn Cerminara before then embarking on a three-fight winning streak. That stretch saw victories secured over Talita Bernardo, Lucie Pudilova, and Bethe Correia before Aldana lost a split decision to eventual UFC champion Raquel Pennington.

Irene Aldana's UFC run continued

Aldanda bounced back with wins over Vanessa Melo and Ketlen Vieria before taking a loss to former UFC bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm. The defeat saw Irene Aldana recalibrate and put together consecutive wins over Yana Santos as well as Macy Chiasson. This led to the aforementioned title shot, which saw Aldana fall short to women's MMA icon Amanda Nunes by way of a unanimous decision at UFC 289.

A win over Karol Rosa eventually gave way to the aforementioned Dumont defeat on the UFC's first-ever Noche event. Overall, Aldana had fourteen bouts in the promotion.

Of note, that June 2023 title defense still marks the last time that Amanda Nunes has stepped into the cage to compete. There were discussions around a superfight with Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison in January before the former two-time Olympic gold medalist had to pull out of the high-stakes bout with Nunes. The Brazilian legend is targeting a return, possibly for later this year, as Nunes aims to battle Harrison for the latter's UFC bantamweight belt.

Continue Reading

MMA

Sean Strickland gives "a lot of motivation" to reinspired Johnny Eblen before PFL Austin title bout

Published

7 hours ago

on

July 17, 2026

By

Sean Strickland gives "a lot of motivation" to reinspired Johnny Eblen before PFL Austin title bout

Sean Strickland helms the UFC's middleweight division and steadily gets in work with someone vying for gold in another promotion this weekend. The combatant in question is Johnny Eblen, who runs it back with Impa Kasanganay for a rematch with the interim middleweight belt on the line at PFL Austin on July 18th. The winner will battle lineal PFL middleweight champion Costello Van Steenis at a later juncture when the 185-pound titleholder gets off the shelf from his injury.

Speaking to the motivational component, getting to work with the UFC champion and potential future UFC Hall of Famer in Sean Strickland, who really touts Johnny Eblen's skills in quite a high regard, Eblen said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Yeah, absolutely. A lot of motivation. Especially when you lose to a guy that you know you can beat [Costello Van Steenis]. It definitely gave me motivation to stay with the PFL and right that wrong. Cuz around that time, I was kind of like running through everybody, beating everybody, and I wanted to find new competition outside of the PFL cuz I fought everybody in the PFL.â€

“But having that loss, and then having Bryan Battle come over, and now I get to run it back with Impa [Kasanganay]. Some people thought I might have lost that fight with Impa because it was a split decision and now I have a road back to redemption with Costello [Van Steenis]. It truly spiced up the division and it truly motivated me, I think.â€

Sean Strickland foresees a UFC title fight with Johnny Eblen someday

Sean Strickland and Johnny Eblen have often got in work inside the gym together, whether in Florida or Nevada, with the former envisioning a fight with the latter transpiring someday. Touching upon that during a recent training excursion taken at American Top Team, Strickland stated [via Bloody Elbow],

“First session done with Johnny [Eblen], this guy is a savage… This guy is going to win the [PFL] belt. Then he's going to come to the UFC, he's going to win a fight and then we're going to fight for the belt. And I don't know who's going to f***ing win but I know we're going to fight.â€

To that, Eblen responded,

“It's going to be fun.â€

Continue Reading

MMA

UFC Oklahoma City ‘Du Plessis vs. Usman’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Published

8 hours ago

on

July 17, 2026

By

UFC Oklahoma City ‘Du Plessis vs. Usman’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Sherdog’s live
UFC Oklahoma City coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET/2
p.m. PT. The event is also known as
UFC Fight Night 281.

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 4

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 5

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending