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UFC star Conor McGregor eyes return at White House card despite Dana White's doubt

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Zain Bando | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 3:35 PM ET

It takes much for former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor to get motivated about a return to MMA.

But the possibility of the UFC hosting an event at the White House and Washington D.C. next summer during the Fourth of July festivities may be enough to lure him back in.

McGregor has not fought in four years and one day, suffering a devastating leg injury that halted the Dustin Poirier trilogy fight following a rather one-sided opening round at UFC 264.

The UFC landscape, as CEO Dana White alluded to in a Thursday podcast with NELK, is likely going to be vastly different. For McGregor, though, his interest in returning to the promotion that built him into the mega star he is today seems to be rekindled.

Conor McGregor Considers A White House Comeback Fight

During a BKFC press conference Thursday, McGregor dropped a bombshell regarding his UFC future.

"I'm in this as owner until I can clear my slate," McGregor said. “It's looking like I'm heading to the Oval Office again, so that's where I'm heading next."

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White said McGregor’s excitement level has to match expectations, but it’s easier said than done.

“McGregor has gotten himself to a point where he is and will be, whether he stops fighting or not, one of the biggest superstars in sports, period," White said on the Full Send Podcast.

Dana White Shares Whether Conor McGregor Makes His MMA Return

While wanting to be optimistic, White says it’s ultimately up to McGregor to make a decision about whether he returns to the Octagon.

“He's gotten to a level of success in his life that he has to, I think, be motivated by something. He's accomplished everything, and especially financially.”

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White seems as if he’s keeping his optimism out of it during the decision-making process.

“Now he's got to find something that truly motivates him to want to come back and do this again,” White said. “I don't know if the White House is it, but we'll see."

McGregor hasn’t won a fight since Jan. 2020, going nearly a decade without fighting for a world title either.

For now, only time will tell whether “The Notorious” pulls the trigger.