Din Thomas’ gut instinct says Conor McGregor gets a new deal done with the UFC.
McGregor’s comeback has been delayed far more than many could have expected after having not competed since July 2021. He was finally booked for a fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024, but withdrew due to a broken pinky toe.
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As soon as the White House event was announced for June, McGregor started seriously gearing towards his long-awaited return. However, with McGregor claiming that his previous deal is “void,” and that he plans on renegotiating his contract with the UFC now that the pay-per-view model no longer exists under the Paramount deal, could his return be delayed even further?
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has two fights remaining on his UFC contract.
“I think if the opportunity arises for them to make a deal with Conor, I think they make it happen,” Thomas told MMA Junkie. “Fighting at the White House is going to be a once in a lifetime thing, most likely. I can’t imagine them doing this again or it becoming a regular thing. Again, same reason with Jon Jones. If you have the opportunity to fight at the White House, you do it. You take advantage of that, and I think if the opportunity does arise, I’m leaning toward they make it happen with Conor one way or another.
“I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t know how that is. I’m sure Conor is not going to fight at lightweight. He’ll fight at lightweight, but at a different weight class. What I’m saying is he’s still a career lightweight. In our eyes he’ll always be a lightweight because of what he’s done at lightweight. But, him fighting at the White House, if I had to put money on it, I’d say they make it happen.”
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The UFC appears to have moved on from the idea of McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, but after Chandler has waited for years, Thomas wants to see his patience pay off.
“You can never convince me that he should fight anybody other than Michael Chandler,” Thomas said. “Michael Chandler is my friend and what he did in the last three years to just hold onto this fight, don’t strip my fan of the fight. Give it to Michael Chandler, don’t strip him. He deserves this.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Din Thomas expects Conor McGregor return at UFC’s White House event
