When Conor McGregor was at the height of his power in the UFC, Dana White was his biggest cheerleader. ‘The Notorious’ helped transform the promotion from a niche sport into a global phenomenon. Because of that reason, the UFC boss called him the poster boy of the UFC. Now, however, White appears to be moving on from considering him as the face of UFC, believing a new generation of stars has taken McGregor’s place.

Talking about the current face of the sport, Dana White named Alex Pereira, Ilia Topuria, and Jon Jones as the current mega-stars of the sport. He even went one step further and mentioned Amanda Nunes’ name in the list. However, the 56-year-old mogul didn’t name Conor McGregor even once, leaving him out of the face of the UFC conversation.

“Who’s the face of the UFC? I mean, Alex Pereira is a huge star for us,” Dana White said in the REVOLT podcast, “Topuria… you know, Jon Jones is the best ever. Amanda Nunes is coming back, the greatest female UFC fighter of all time,” he added.

Well, when it comes to pure star power, the promotion hasn’t seen quite something like Conor McGregor, and the data proves it. ‘The Notorious’ pulled off eight straight million UFC-PPV buys, which accumulated 12 million total PPV buys and 96 million in gates. Now, who has pulled off numbers like that in the recent history of the UFC? We don’t know, but it can be safely assumed that no one came close.

In that case, snubbing the former two-division champ from the face of the UFC list does seem a bit odd. But looking from another perspective, we can understand that Dana White isn’t wrong. How? Since losing to Dustin Poirier in their trilogy, McGregor hasn’t been able to set foot inside the Octagon, and it’s been five years. Because of that absence from action, the Irishman’s image as the carrier of the UFC definitely took a hit, even though his overall stardom remained intact.

Meanwhile, fighters like Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria have filled that stardom void to some extent. Although we don’t know whether they have sold PPVs like McGregor. But according to the overall audience reaction, we can say that ‘Poatan’ and ‘El Matador’ have both become prime UFC superstars in the current era. And Jon Jones? Well, ‘Bones’ was the heavyweight champ till he retired last year, so he also makes a case despite the controversies around his reign as 265 lbs champ.

Now that leaves us with a question: Can McGregor become the face of the sport once again? At least he’s planning to do so, as the Dublin native is planning to make a comeback soon.

Conor McGregor reveals new return date as UFC White House comeback in question

For a while, Conor McGregor’s comeback at the UFC White House event seemed like the best scenario the UFC could ever make. Their biggest star is performing on the grandest stage. It made absolute sense to have the UFC star clash on the South Lawn. But that dream now seems to be crushed, as ‘The Notorious’ speculated a new timeline for his comeback, which doesn’t align with the June 14 event.

“I am in negotiations with the Ultimate Fighting Championship about the bout, either the White House or thereabouts,” McGregor told Drink Litt. “Sometime in the summer, McGregor will return,” he added.

Well, the former two-division champion stated that the UFC is probably looking beyond the White House event for his return. But at which stage? According to Ariel Helwani, the promotion is aiming to put him on International Fight Week, which is scheduled for July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That is definitely a solid platform for Conor to return, but is it actually a demotion from fighting at Donald Trump’s 80th birthday event?

Probably yes, since the UFC is planning to spend $60 million for the entire event, and Conor McGregor’s presence could have elevated it. However, the promotion is not expected to earn any profit from the event, so they might be trying to use ‘The Notorious’ star power to sell the next event. But regardless, if the Irishman ends up beating a really good opponent, it wouldn’t matter where he returns, as he would be coming back to become the face of the UFC once again.

That said, do you think Conor McGregor would shatter expectations and reclaim the aura he once had inside the cage to overshadow the present-day stars eventually? Let us know in the comments section below.