Conor McGregor ‘COULD fight for the lightweight title’ on comeback from broken leg, admits Dana White… with UFC president also teasing option of Nate Diaz trilogy next summer
- Conor McGregor has not won at lightweight since 2016 against Eddie Alvarez
- But he is pushing for the next title shot against Charles Oliveira when he is back
- Irishman is still working his way back to fitness following his broken leg
- Justin Gaethje threatened to ‘burn it all down’ if McGregor skipped the queue
- White refused to reject the possibility that ‘Notorious’ would fight for the belt
Dana White refused to shut down the possibility of Conor McGregor fighting for the lightweight title when he returns from a broken leg.
McGregor has not won a fight at lightweight since 2016 and Justin Gaethje, the No 1 contender, recently said he would ‘burn it all down’ if the Irishman skips the queue.
The ‘Notorious’ suffered a KO defeat by Dustin Poirier in January and then succumbed to a broken leg in their trilogy bout months later.
Dana White (centre) did not rule out Conor McGregor (right) fighting for the title next
McGregor is still recovering from a broken leg in the third Dustin Poirier fight
He has watched from the sidelines as Charles Oliveira made his mark as the new champion at 155-pounds, most recently defending his belt against Poirier.
Most fans expect McGregor to have at least one or two fights to put himself back in the title picture now he has dropped down to No 9 in the rankings.
But White was coy on the subject and did not shut down the possibility of the UFC’s biggest name diving straight back in for a title shot.
He told ESPN: ‘The thing I’ve been saying about him and I’ll always say about him is the guy has plenty of money, but he still is super passionate about fighting.
McGregor is pushing for a lightweight title shot despite not winning in the division since 2016
‘He’s fired up to come back and he’s out there doing everything he needs to do to get himself ready to perform again.
‘He’s telling me this, and you can see it in all of his [social media] posts and the way he’s acting.
‘If everything goes right with the healing of his leg, he’ll be back this summer. I have no idea what the landscape is going to look like by the time he comes back.
White went on: ‘Poirier could be retired by the time McGregor comes back. I don’t know [if he could fight for the title right away when he comes back].
Justin Gaethje is currently the No 1 contender at lightweight after beating Michael Chandler
‘I won’t know the answer until it gets closer.
The UFC president went on to confirm that Nate Diaz only has one fight left on his contract and admitted he could round off his career in the organisation with a third bout against McGregor.
He added: ‘The trilogy with McGregor is always there. That fight could happen. We could make that fight.’
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