Conor McGregor may have only just returned to the Octagon, but concerns about what comes next have already dominated the conversation after how disastrous the much-awaited comeback turned out to be at UFC 329 last Saturday. And now, after the former two-division champion’s big defeat, speculation has already begun about when he will fight again and who it will be against.

The Irishman’s return lasted only 69 seconds after a right knee injury ended his bout against Max Holloway, with McGregor in the following days admitting that surgery will be required. Despite another lengthy hiatus appearing on the horizon, the MMA world has already turned its attention to his next fight. Dana White, however, believes those conversations are getting way ahead of themselves.

“Listen, the Conor McGregor thing—Conor McGregor needs knee surgery,” Dana White told MMA Fighting. “He’s going to be out. He’s going to have to go through physical therapy, and then there will be a point where his doctor says, ‘You’re able to go back and start training hardcore again.’

“Until that time, it’s not even worth talking about. He is absolutely getting knee surgery, and everybody in this sport knows the timeline and how that all plays out. So any Conor McGregor questions or rematch questions don’t even make sense.”

Given Conor McGregor’s recent string of bad luck, the UFC CEO’s stance is unsurprising. After suffering a horrific broken leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, the former two-division champion remained out of competition for five long years. Even his return at UFC 303 in 2024 against Michael Chandler was derailed after he broke his toe during training.

While he has now returned to the Octagon, another major injury derailed yet another one of his comebacks just seconds before it ever really got started. Considering knee surgeries typically force a fighter to remain out of competition for close to a year, it’s understandable why the UFC CEO wouldn’t like to talk about the future just yet.

But while Dana White isn’t interested in discussing Conor McGregor’s future bout, ‘The Notorious’ appears to have made his decision.

Conor McGregor only wants to complete the Max Holloway trilogy

Following UFC 329, a fan on X asked Conor McGregor whether he might return to fight Michael Chandler or Dustin Poirier once he recovered. Rather than entertain either bout, the Irishman expressed his preference clearly.

“It has to be Holloway,” he tweeted.

If his recovery goes as planned, ‘The Notorious’ has previously stated that he hopes to have one more bout before his current UFC contract expires in 2027. And, according to his most recent words, he wants that fight to end his feud with ‘Blessed’ once and for all.

The pair is now deadlocked with one win each. Conor McGregor won their first bout by unanimous decision in 2013, despite tearing his ACL midway through the fight night bout in Boston. At the time, the ACL tear on his left knee required surgery that forced the Irishman to remain out of competition for the next 11 months. And now their rematch at UFC 329 ended after only 69 seconds when another knee injury forced the Irishman out.

During an impromptu Q&A session with fans, McGregor explained why he was able to battle through his first injury but not the second.

“The first fight was midway thru the second round and we were positioned on the canvas where there was no weight bearing necessary,” he wrote. “It was also the left leg which is my back leg in fighting stance. When you strike you move onto your lead leg so the effect was less. I was able to strike sufficiently and enter to a takedown.

“This current one was my lead leg. The right leg. Every movement was effected. It was also not me who was calling for the fight to be waved.”

For now, though, any discussion about a Max Holloway trilogy remains on hold. As the UFC head honcho, Dana White stated, Conor McGregor’s immediate priority is surgery and recovery before any plans or preparations for his return can be seriously considered.