Islam Makhachev has never been one to sugarcoat his feelings regarding Conor McGregor, and with the Irishman’s return now linked to the fantasy-like idea of a UFC card at the White House, the lightweight champion didn’t mince words. As speculation about who might headline the historic 2026 event grows, McGregor’s name keeps getting floated by fans, but not by Makhachev.

To him, the whole idea isn’t only unlikely. It’s impossible. And the reason, in his opinion, goes much deeper than suspensions or failed tests. When asked if ‘The Notorious’ could possibly return for something as big as the White House spectacle, the Dagestani phenom quickly shut it down. There was no hesitancy or diplomacy, just the same bluntness that has defined the Dagestani camp’s rivalry with McGregor for years.

Islam Makhachev points to Khabib Nurmagomedov for Conor McGregor missing UFC return

Islam Makhachev’s response began with the root of the rivalry. “This guy never come back. Khabib broke his mind you know,” he said, reinforcing a belief he claimed to have had for years. In his opinion, Conor McGregor’s mental edge vanished the night Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted him in 2018, and everything after—losses, layoffs, and scandals—only reinforced the idea.

“He’s never gonna fight anymore. I told this like 2 years ago, but I still think he not gonna fight.” Then he shifted to the present. The Irishman’s issues are no longer only psychological; they are also bureaucratic. “Now he have disqualification from anti-doping commission; that’s why I think no,” Makhachev stated, referencing McGregor’s 18-month suspension from CSAD for missing three whereabouts tests in 2024.

His ineligibility lasts until March 20, 2026, so he will be out of the Octagon for a few months but will be available before the planned White House event. So, will he be a part of it? That’s where Islam Makhachev drew his final line. If fans are hoping for a big name for the White House card, he believes they are looking in the wrong place.

“Maybe Jon Jones would come back to fight in White House, not Conor,” he further added in the interview. With Jon Jones already hinting at a return for the UFC’s 250th anniversary celebration, Makhachev believes that’s the superstar people should be talking about, rather than a guy he believes is gone for good. In fact, even if ‘The Notorious’ were in the UFC, Islam Makhachev claims he could’ve made quick work of him.

UFC 322 headliner claims McGregor is quite easy to beat

So when Islam Makhachev said Conor McGregor wouldn’t survive a White House return, he wasn’t simply dismissing the possibility; he was reaffirming a belief he’d had for years. The Dagestani believes that even if ‘The Notorious’ were still active, a fight between the two would be lopsided, unlike what many, including AI would like to believe. He’s previously stated that whatever Khabib Nurmagomedov did to the Irishman mentally, he could handle the physical part much quicker.

That’s why he frequently uses his Bobby Green fight as a comparison point. After stopping Green in just four minutes, Makhachev said Conor McGregor would be a simpler task. “I’m going to smash him, easy enough,” he said during the UFC Vegas 49 post-fight press conference. “Bobby Green is going to be harder for me more than him.”

And, with McGregor’s last meaningful victory coming years ago, Makhachev sees nothing that changes his opinion. Conor McGregor, of course, sees things differently. In an online statement ahead of Makhachev’s UFC 322 clash with Jack Della Maddalena, the Irishman referred to the Dagestani as “a backpack at best” with “no finishing capability,” asking JDM to knock him out “inside the 5.”

But, aside from the back-and-forth talk, Islam Makhachev’s attitude hasn’t changed: he doesn’t believe Conor McGregor will return, and if he does, he doesn’t think the Irishman will last long against him.