Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler, a fight that has been comatose except for a brief window in mid-2024, may have been officially pronounced dead. ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Iron’ Mike have been milking the most out of their rivalry, most recently claiming they would clash on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14. But CEO Dana White has seemingly put a permanent stop to the chatter, only for rumors to suggest that Chandler will be replaced by another big-name UFC star.

Dana White recently appeared in an interview with Complex, where he spoke candidly about McGregor’s fate on the June 14 White House card. There were billboards in Times Square from Paramount and the UFC featuring Conor McGregor front and center, teasing his long-awaited return. However, when White was pressed on the subject by Complex’s Matt Welty, the UFC CEO said, “We’ll see if Conor’s going to come back or not, you know, we’ve been talking about it for a while.”

White then outlined the UFC’s immediate schedule. “January 23rd is Zuffa Boxing, January 24th is the first UFC, and then after that card, we’ll start working on the White House fight.” When asked specifically about Michael Chandler facing McGregor, the 56-year-old shut the idea down entirely. “No, I mean that was a couple of years ago,” White told Complex’s Matt Welty.

Meanwhile, insider Rueben Carter—who previously reported Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer ahead of the UFC’s announcement—has suggested McGregor could face Jorge Masvidal next. “Conor McGregor vs Jorge Masvidal is targeted for #UFCWhiteHouse,” Carter wrote on X. That said, Carter’s reports have missed the mark before, so the claim should be taken with a pinch of salt.

McGregor hasn’t fought since his 2021 bout against Dustin Poirier, where he suffered a broken leg. While the former double champion has repeatedly teased a return, nothing has materialized yet. Jorge Masvidal, meanwhile, last competed in MMA on April 8, 2023, losing to Gilbert Burns. He did, however, defeat Nate Diaz in a 10-round boxing match on July 6, 2024.

With White dismissing Chandler vs. McGregor for the White House, we have ruled out almost all of the potential superfights of 2026 happening on Donald Trump’s birthday. Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira or Tom Aspinall is not happening, and neither is Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev. But with White casting doubt on McGregor’s future, the question now is simple: what does Conor himself make of these comments?

Conor McGregor declares open season after Dana White snubs Michael Chandler bout

A fight between Chandler and McGregor has been teased for years now. The fact that they were opposing coaches on Season 31 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ made it interesting and possible. Still, there had been many bumps over the years in making the fight happen. So, when Dana White completely scrapped the idea, McGregor didn’t mind. 

“Pick who ya want!” McGregor wrote on X. “The Mac sweats nothin and nobody. I’m TASTY SHOTS.” While McGregor could still fight on the White House card, Chandler might be feeling a little betrayed. Why? Well, because he appears to have been waiting for that fight for the last two years, not to mention the fights he did take, he lost.

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After waiting for McGregor for more than a year and a half, Chandler fought Charles Oliveira in November 2024 and then Paddy Pimblett in April of the following year. He lost the first via a lopsided decision and the second via a TKO. Could this be why the fight is no longer appealing to the UFC brass?

As for a potential McGregor vs. Masvidal bout, most of you might agree that it was the biggest fight to make in 2020, with its relevance dwindling each passing year. In 2026, it would be two semi-retired welterweights looking for a lucrative paycheck.

For McGregor, his last few fights haven’t been easy either. He fought Dustin Poirier twice and lost both, and his last win came all the way back in January 2020 against Donald Cerrone at welterweight at UFC 246.

There is also chatter of a Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards bout and an even more outlandish prediction of a McGregor vs. Islam Makhachev welterweight title fight at the White House. But with the UFC making Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje for the interim 155 lbs title as the first main event of 2026, is anything outside the realm of possibility anymore?