Speaking on FOX and Friends, UFC star Conor McGregor was clear regarding his White House Card return in 2026. It was a long time coming after 5 years of absence, and he was expected to pull a massive viewership. Sadly, it remains unconfirmed, despite the Irish superstar aggressively campaigning for the main event spot. Now, Chael Sonnen has predicted a grimmer scenario for McGregor’s return.

Sonnen, in his November 12th podcast video, talked about why McCregor won’t return for the White House Card. “That’s the stuff about the White House card. It’s one thing where I always told you Conor McGregor will not be at the White House cuz there will be no belt. You’re going to proclaim the world’s biggest card isn’t for a belt, and you’re kind of proclaiming that your belt’s not worth that much,” said Sonnen.

The White House Card is scheduled on July 14th, 2026, and for now, no fights have been announced. The event will commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary and will take place at the South Lawn of the White House. It will be the first sport in history to feature at the White House. But placing the biggest card without a title fight seems counterintuitive, right?

“In February, we’ll start looking at building the White House card, which I will right now tell you will be the greatest fight card ever assembled in the history of, at least, definitely this company,” said UFC CEO Dana White. However, despite that promise, reports claim that logistical concerns wouldn’t enable a title fight to take place.

Hence, to avoid “logistical challenges of a major pay-per-view event,” the fight is reported to be a non-title one. Moreover, since reports point to the event to be “invite only”, having only 5,000 people, it will also make things tricky. Does that mean McGregor won’t return?

Initially, the rumors were swirling about a superfight between light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Jon Jones. However, ever since McGregor posted that training video and declared his intentions for an appearance, rumors have turned towards the southpaw. “The Champ Champ returns! Just over 8 months to UFC White House,” declared McGregor.

Connor McGregor has not entered the Octagon since he broke his leg in July 2021. The fight would mark his final two contract fights, and it would be unlikely that he would do it without a title on the cards. That said, he can also do the opposite, too, to fulfil one scenario.

Would Conor McGregor return for a non-title game, amid high stakes?

Connor McGregor, after signaling his intentions for a White House card return, also revealed his interest in fighting with Michael Chandler. It’s been a rivalry that was on the cards in 2024. However, the bout was suspended after injury issues involving the 37-year-old Irish star. In that sense, the White House card would be a perfect chance for McGregor to fulfill his delayed rivalry.

“I’m on it. I am, this is me. Michael Chandler. Michael Chandler and myself have done the show, The Ultimate Fighter, we’ve had a good back and forth. He’s a good, tough guy,” said McGregor recently. Not to mention, the three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion has also expressed the same for facing McGregor. “I’m the guy he wants to fight, at the White House, on the lawn. The fight makes a ton of sense. He is a man of his word,” said Chandler.

All in all, whether the UFC White House Card will feature Conor or not isn’t set in stone yet. Everything right now is in its initial stage, and White has signaled that he “is still taking about the production and everything.” Come February, that won’t be the case as fights will start to be officially added to the card. Despite that, White hasn’t excluded a Conor comeback, and acknowledged the Irish being “fired up to fight.” However, barring official confirmation, we can just speculate, wait, and watch.