Michael Chandler is officially out, and Jorge Masvidal is in. Conor McGregor has been campaigning for a spot at the UFC White House event, scheduled for July 14 on the White House lawn, for quite some time now. His intentions appeared serious enough that he even re-entered the UFC’s drug-testing pool. Initially, McGregor was confident that Chandler would be his opponent on the historic card—but those plans were quickly shut down by Dana White.

The UFC CEO publicly dismissed the possibility of Chandler receiving that opportunity. Since then, speculation has exploded across social media, with many fans suggesting Jorge Masvidal as a potential replacement. Fueling the rumors further, ‘Gamebred’ recently made a notable announcement of his own, while Conor McGregor shared a training clip that added more intrigue to the matchup’s possibility.

What did Jorge Masvidal say? 

The 41-year-old recently spoke to MMA Junkie Radio, where he claimed that he was in the gym preparing for something big. “Some of it is like level-five only access, so I can’t really say too much, but I am training for something big,” Masvidal said during the interview. “… You never know, right? Give ’em what they want, not what they expect. I can say it’s some big news. I have some fight news coming soon, and it’s very big news.”

Whether this big news involves a fight against Conor McGregor on President Donald Trump’s birthday remains a closely guarded secret. “I can’t deny or confirm any of that right now, but maybe hopefully soon, I can,” Masvidal added. “… Like maybe 10 days, something like that, I should have more confirmation on it.” This appears to align with the timeline Dana White himself had set for working on the White House card. 

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During an interview with Complex, he revealed that he would start working on the UFC White House lineup after UFC 324 and Zuffa Boxing’s debut on January 23 and 24. Regardless, soon after Masvidal’s announcement, ‘The Mac’ hopped on Instagram to share some sparring footage, as he has been doing for the past few months to convince both fans and the UFC that he is serious about his return to action. 

“3 on target in under half a second,” McGregor captioned the post, while sharing the sparring footage. While this might not seem like a big hint towards facing Masvidal on the White House lawn, fans, nonetheless, took it as an indicator for the fight’s unofficial confirmation. 

Conor McGregor asked to book the Masvidal fight

Watching McGregor throw punches, this user was convinced Masvidal had signed up for his destruction. “Masvidal is cooked,” the user wrote. The former UFC title challenger hasn’t fought in an MMA bout since his April 2023 unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns. 

Another user predicted what McGregor would do to Masvidal. “@thenotoriousmma hit masvidal with a flying knee yeah,” the user commented. ‘Gamebred’ took on Nate Diaz in a boxing match in June 2024 and lost the fight. If he indeed faces McGregor, his chances would be low.

Meanwhile, this user urged McGregor to book the Masvidal fight. “McGregor vs Masvidal. Book it,” the user wrote. However, the decision doesn’t appear to be in McGregor’s hands. 

For another user, McGregor’s opponent was irrelevant. “I can’t wait 2026 whitehouse card,” the fan wrote. It would certainly be a surprise if McGregor failed to make the card at all—especially considering he remains one of the promotion’s biggest stars.

Another user wanted to see a completely different fight. “Diaz/McGregor 3 we need it,” the user wrote. McGregor has fought Nate Diaz twice, producing a win and a loss, making their third encounter a nail-biting rubber match. 

In the end, only the UFC knows whether Conor McGregor will be matched against Jorge Masvidal. But in case they do, who do you think will win the fight?