Conor McGregor says he’s ready to fight again. The problem, according to him, is that the fight hasn’t arrived yet. For months, the expectation was that the former two-division champion would return at the highly anticipated UFC event at the White House on June 14. Instead, those plans quietly shifted, and McGregor now finds himself waiting again, but this time with a new target in mind: the winner of the BMF clash between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira at UFC 326.

Speaking on Smash Cast’s Undefeated & Undisputed with Chael Sonnen and Ian Parker, McGregor explained that the White House card originally had a very clear storyline attached to it. The plan, he said, was for him to face Michael Chandler. After a back-and-forth buildup following their time coaching The Ultimate Fighter, the Irish star believed the narrative had already been written.

“Maybe we’re gonna leave Chandler. You know, I do like Chandler,” ‘The Notorious’ said. “I’ve been preparing for him for the last two years. He deserved to go after the waiting, and you know. It would’ve been a great fight. It gets me back in there, but you know, they’ve(UFC) veered off it, you know. I’m not gonna be too picky. I have to get back. I’m eager to get back. I’ve been out and loved myself, so okay. Sorry, Chandler, it is what it is.

“You know, what weight, Conor, are you gonna do? I’m gonna do 170 as you know. I’m a big boy, a lot bigger than before. Okay, well, we’re going to offer you this opponent. Yes, no problem, I accept day after day after day. No problem. We’ll send the contract, excellent. There’s a great matchup. That’s a great matchup. That’s a great matchup. It’s all you ever heard out of me. And no contract came. And that’s kind of where I’m at. Still here in this limbo.”

If the White House fight with Chandler is no longer happening, Conor McGregor believes the UFC might be pivoting toward something else entirely, and as he explained, his manager will be in Las Vegas on Monday to finalize a fight. The timing of UFC 326 and the BMF title bout between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira has caught his attention.

“I assume the vibes I’m getting, and I don’t mind it at all,” McGregor said. “Its the BMF contest, which was on this week, a rematch between Holloway and Oliveira. Maybe it’s me, and that for the next one. So we will see. It’s all taking shape.”

Holloway currently holds the belt after knocking out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in one of the most memorable finishes in recent years. At the same time, Oliveira is a former lightweight champion with a record number of UFC submission victories.

The Irishman hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. Since then, the road back has been complicated. He even served an 18-month suspension related to missed whereabouts filings under the UFC’s anti-doping policy last year, a suspension that becomes eligible to end on March 20. Even before that, injuries and scheduling changes repeatedly delayed his comeback. But according to Conor McGregor, there’s another reason why the promotion might not be too keen on having him return at the White House card.

Conor McGregor points to UFC’s “double sale” business as a reason behind his White House snub

While Conor McGregor insists he was ready to fight at the White House event, he also believes the UFC’s decision might come down to simple business math.

Speaking further during the same Smash Cast interview, McGregor suggested the promotion has historically used him to anchor events that need an extra financial push rather than stacking him onto already massive cards.

“Gate and secondary sales, they don’t usually put me on UFC 200s or 300s or The Sphere,” McGregor explained. “They usually put me on UFC 201 or 301. You know, like a double sale thing. The White House was gonna hit no matter what. Who the f– gives a f– who we put on it? And then wheel McGregor out for the second one. So we double our economic take.”

Still, the Irishman didn’t sound bitter about the decision. He framed it as part of the business realities fighters deal with in modern MMA. In fact, he delivered one of his more colorful analogies while describing the dynamic between promoters and athletes.

“In this current climate, we’re all cattle,” McGregor said. “Yeah, all these fighters, we are all cattle. I just happened to be free range. I’m like Wagyu walking around the f— farm.”

In other words, he understands the game. The only thing left now is figuring out when and against whom he finally returns.