Dana White's telling response to question over Conor McGregor's UFC future

Dana White did little to clear up Conor McGregor’s murky future in the Octagon after the UFC President conceded that he didn't know when the Irishman will return to fighting.
Conor McGregor’s highly-anticipated return to the Octagon will not take place in the near future - at least according to Dana White.
Speaking to reporters on the heels of UFC Saudi Arabia Saturday, White expressed little confidence that McGregor’s UFC comeback would be coming sooner rather than later. When asked about the 36-year-old’s current status, he replied: "Conor? I'm not sure when Conor will be back."
McGregor was slated to face off against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29, but had to pull out of the event two weeks before fight night after suffering a broken pinky toe in training. He last fought in July 2021 as the main event of UFC 264, during which he broke his leg in a TKO defeat to Dustin Poirier.
White’s latest comment is a stark contrast to the prior remarks he’s made regarding McGregor’s return. In January, the 55-year-old sounded hopeful that ‘The Notorious’ would “eventually” fight again in the UFC. "Hopefully Conor McGregor returns in the fall of this year," he said while making an appearance on ‘Pardon My Take.’
Last July, White voiced his strong desire to see McGregor vs. Chandler take place on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’. “That’s the fight that needs to happen,” he began. “We’ve been waiting for it. It’s an awesome fight, it’s a fun fight. As of sitting here right here, right now, no, I don’t have a date for it or a plan or anything like that. Obviously, me, the fans, and ESPN would love it to happen in [2024], but we’ll see what happens.”
Though White has time and again hinted at McGregor’s impending comeback, the UFC president admitted that he wasn’t certain that the Irishman will fight again. “Conor’s going to be 36 in July,” he said on ‘The Jim Rome Show.’
“He’s got plenty of money, and I don’t ever think that guys like that - Jon Jones, who knows? Maybe he’ll fight again. Maybe he won’t. Conor McGregor - maybe he’ll fight again, maybe he won’t. You never know with some of the guys that get to that level. You never know when you’re going to see them again.
“The other thing about getting old, like racehorses, is you get injured a lot easier,” White continued. “You get hurt a lot easier, more injuries happen than it did when you were young, and you’re less willing to step in there with an injury than you did when you were young and hungry and broke.”