Dana White provides updated timeframe for Conor McGregor's return to the UFC originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The return of Conor McGregor to the UFC appears to be nearly finalized.

According to UFC CEO Dana White, all sides involved in negotations are nearing a completion of the paperwork, clearing the former UFC champion to make his long-awaited and much-anticipated return to the Octagon this summer.

"We're in a good place," White told Jim Rome (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). "We're in a great place with Conor. I'm extremely confident that Conor will fight this year. I'm extremely confident that we'll get him dialed in and ready to roll. He's training, there's footage out there of him in training right now.

"We haven't announced anything yet. He'll fight this summer. Let me just start there. He'll fight this summer."

June appears to be the likely spot for Conor McGregor fight

The next couple UFC "marquee" events are set starting this Saturday night with UFC 328 where Khamzat Chimaev defends his UFC middleweight title against former champion Sean Strickland. From there, UFC White House is scheduled for June 14 with the main event locked in.

UFC 330 in August is expected to feature Islam Makhachev defending his welterweight championship, leaving UFC 329 this July for the return of "Notorious," who has held multiple championships with the promotion.

"He seems motivated, he's training," White said. "There are a lot of other great things going on behind the scenes that make me very confident he'll fight this summer."

Conor McGregor last fought inside the Octagon in 2021

McGregor last competed for the UFC in 2021, losing to Dustin Poirier when he suffered a gruesome broken leg. He did appear on a season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler since that time, as the two were expected to square off.

That never happened, and Chandler remains a potential opponent along with former UFC champion Max Holloway, who recently made it known he would love the chance for a rematch.

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Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t lost sight of a potential super-fight with Alex Pereira.

Before that can happen, the reigning middleweight champion has other business to take care of, starting with Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey.

Chimaev has made it clear he’s interested in adding more titles beyond his first defence. And if he does move up again, it won’t just be for the light heavyweight strap.

Chimaev open to Pereira fight two divisions above current weight class at UFC 328

Talk of Chimaev fighting Pereira is nothing new. The two have exchanged words for quite some time, with the unbeaten Chechen initially linked to a bout with the Brazilian during his stint as light heavyweight champion in late 2024.

That matchup never came together, and since then, ‘Poatan’ has moved up in weight. He’s set to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on June 14 at the UFC White House event.

If he doesn’t succeed in becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in three different divisions, Chimaev expects him to drop back down to 205 pounds. But that isn’t the only path Chimaev sees leading them into the same octagon.

“I just want big fights,” Chimaev said during UFC 328 media day on Wednesday. “Alex Pereira, if he’s gonna lose (against Gane), he’s gonna come back down.”

“He’s a big fight, too, big name.”

“If not, I’m gonna go to heavyweight. I need big names, big money,” he added.

The reigning middleweight champion has made it clear he wants titles across multiple weight classes. After missing weight cut his run at welterweight short, his focus has shifted upwards through the divisions.

This weekend though is all about Sean Strickland. First things first: he needs to handle business against Strickland if he wants any chance of defending his title even once.

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Waldo Cortes-Acosta established himself as one of the leading names in the UFC heavyweight division after building an impressive 10-2 record inside the promotion.

The Dominican contender currently sits fourth in the heavyweight rankings, meaning his opinions carry considerable weight when discussing the elite names competing near the title picture.

That includes the highly anticipated clash between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, where Cortes-Acosta surprisingly believes the Frenchman holds the edge in striking ability.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta shares unpopular opinion about Ciryl Gane being a better striker than Alex Pereira

Speaking to Home of Fight’s Jake Noecker, Cortes-Acosta explained why he believes Gane possesses a better striking skillset for mixed martial arts competition.

“Ciryl Gane [is the better striker], because he’s more versatile, he moves better, he’s more dynamic,” ‘Salsa Boy’ began by saying.

“His striking is for Martial Arts. Striking in Kickboxing is different. Ciryl Gane’s striking is more well-rounded.”

Despite that opinion, Pereira’s UFC statistics suggest his striking has produced far more dangerous results inside the Octagon throughout his championship career.

Gane only owns four knockout victories across 13 UFC appearances, while “Poatan” already recorded eight knockouts in 12 fights with the promotion.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta could move close to title shot at UFC 328

Cortes-Acosta now has an enormous opportunity awaiting him next Saturday when he faces second-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov at UFC 328.

The Dominican enters the fight riding a three-fight winning streak, while Volkov has only won his most recent appearance inside the Octagon.

A victory over the Russian contender would significantly strengthen Cortes-Acosta’s argument for a future title opportunity in the heavyweight division.

However, any contender pursuing championship contention will still need to wait for the eventual unification bout involving the winner of Pereira vs. Gane against Tom Aspinall.

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On 6 May, Slaughter to Prevail’s Alex Terrible launched his ‘Blood 4 Blood’ concept, though the outcome was a bit of a mixed bag.

Back in September, UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov was spotted in the crowd at a Slaughter to Prevail concert.

Volkov has his own fight coming up this weekend against Waldo Cortes-Acosta, but the lead singer of one of his favourite bands took centre stage earlier this week.

The event was built around Alex Shikolai – better known as Alex Terrible – and combined fights with live performances from metal bands.

Alex Terrible stopped by Cameron Delano in the final round after a back-and-forth fight

On 6 May, Alex Terrible (Shikolai) stepped into the bare-knuckle ring for the third time in his career, although he’s mentioned that not all of his fights are officially recorded.

The Slaughter to Prevail frontman took on Cameron Delano in the main event of ‘Blood 4 Blood’, a fight that came just after he’d already performed with his band earlier in the night.

Despite putting up a good fight and even dropping Delano at one point, Terrible was knocked down several times. His attempt to finish strong ended with him getting stopped before the final bell.

The event included four fights and performances from four different bands. Despite coming up short, Terrible was pleased with how everything came together.

“Of course, I’m very sad, I lost,” Terrible said when reflecting on the fight. “It sucks. Sometimes s— happens. I feel sad, but at the same time I feel so happy because we made this Blood4Blood event.”

He also mentioned plans to step away from fighting for a while to focus on new music with Slaughter to Prevail.

The band is scheduled to play the Welcome To Rockville festival in Florida this weekend, giving him little time away from the spotlight.

BKFC has also announced another music collaboration event later this year, with fights scheduled ahead of Megadeth’s show at Sturgis Buffalo Chip on 8 August.

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Fans have widely expected Islam Makhachev to face Ian Machado Garry in his first welterweight title defence. The matchup has been treated as the most logical next step.

Other contenders remain in the picture, including Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. Even so, most signs had pointed towards the Irishman receiving the opportunity.

That assumption has now been challenged. Makhachev’s latest comments suggest the situation is far from settled as discussions continue behind the scenes.

Islam Makhachev casts doubt on Ian Garry fight plans

Makhachev admitted he is still unclear about his next opponent despite already beginning preparations. The uncertainty reflects a lack of direct communication from the promotion.

The Dagestani star said (via Red Corner MMA): “The UFC hasn’t informed me about it yet, but there’s been a lot of rumors about me fighting Ian Garry next. Yet I haven’t talked with any officials about this fight.”

Makhachev made it clear that several contenders are under consideration, as the division currently offers multiple viable options for a title bout.

“So, I can’t tell for sure who is the next contender. I’ve got 3-4 more possible matchups. Kamaru Usman is also up there, Ian Garry, Morales, Prates. They’re all expecting a title shot,” he said.

Carlos Prates emerges as the most intriguing option for Islam Makhachev

Among those names, Makhachev highlighted a potential bout against Prates as particularly appealing.

That surge follows the Brazilian’s dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena last weekend. The result significantly boosted his standing in the division.

“Well, I think Prates has got the hype now. He’s talked about much more now. So I think a fight with him would be the most interesting,” the champion commented.

In the latest rankings, Prates climbed to number two. Ian Garry, meanwhile, now holds the number one contender position.

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After his win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth, Carlos Prates has made a big move up the welterweight rankings.

This past Saturday in Perth, Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates squared off in the main event, both hoping to strengthen their claims for a future title shot.

‘The Nightmare’ put on a flawless performance, becoming the first fighter to finish Della Maddalena inside the Octagon when he stopped him in the third round.

Prates has now put himself firmly into welterweight title contention and has been rewarded with a significant boost in the rankings.

Carlos Prates climbs to No. 2 in latest welterweight rankings update

After defeating the former champion, who held the top spot going into the fight, the 32-year-old has now climbed three places up to number two.

That result has also had a knock-on effect for Ian Machado Garry, who now moves up to number one and strengthens his case as the division’s top contender.

Makhachev is reportedly set to face Garry next, with that matchup expected to headline UFC 330 in Philadelphia.

Prates may not need another fight before earning his shot at the belt following Machado Garry, with a title opportunity looking likely before year’s end.

It wasn’t just welterweight where rankings shifted. Several other fighters from UFC Perth were rewarded for their performances with moves up their respective ladders.

Salkilld entered the lightweight rankings at number 12 after stopping Beneil Dariush in the first round, jumping ahead of fighters like Michael Chandler.

Steve Erceg also made a move, returning to flyweight’s top ten after edging out Tim Elliot on points.

The heavyweight division also saw a fresh name crack the top 15. Brando Pericic took over spot number 15 after an impressive showing against Shamil Gaziev, providing a much-needed boost to that weight class.

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Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of X, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Saturday's Paramount+ in Perth, Australia, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

The defeated: Themba Gorimbo

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