Report: “No real talks” underway for Conor McGregor fight

It sounds like we can pump the brakes on talk of an imminent Conor McGregor comeback.

UFC president Dana White recently claimed that McGregor is ready to return to the Octagon.

“Conor’s been ready to fight for a while,” White said on the Jim Rome Show. “He’s in shape and he’s ready to go.

“First of all ‘Fight Island’ is going to be very important in any of these fights that are happening with people from outside the country. It kills me to do a fight with Conor without fans. Kills me. This guy’s doing almost $20 million gates.”

Despite these comments from White, ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani says there are “no real talks” on the table with respect to the Irishman’s next move.

“There are no real talks regarding his return to action just yet, but his head coach John Kavanagh told me that their gym, SBG Ireland, will reopen on Aug. 10,” Helwani reported. “So, some light emerges at the end of the tunnel.”

McGregor has also recently been linked to a potential super fight with top UFC welterweight contender and BMF champ Jorge Masvidal. According to Helwani, however, the plan is still for Masvidal to challenge Kamaru Usman for the undisputed welterweight title in his next outing. Rumors  of a fight between Masvidal and McGregor are reportedly baseless.

“Don’t get all excited about any rumors regarding Jorge Masvidal fighting a secret opponent or even Conor McGregor any time soon,” Helwani wrote. “According to the people I’ve talked to, there has been no talk of Masvidal fighting McGregor soon or anyone not named Kamaru Usman.”

Conor McGregor has not fought since January, when he emerged from a lengthy hiatus to beat the brakes of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in just 40 seconds. After that win, the Irishman plotted multiple bouts for 2020, but like so many other plans, his was derailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Who do you want to see Conor McGregor fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 5/6/2020.