Conor McGregor is unlikely to fight before August after the Irishman was absent from leaked UFC 276 and UFC 277 cards.
McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier last year but has made a return to training in a bid to return to action. The Irishman has ballooned in weight since starting his recovery and has confirmed he is likely to make a switch to 170lb, with an eye on making a comeback later this year.
UFC president Dana White is notorious for making his fights in his 'war room' at the UFC headquarters in Las Vegas. During his appearance on the Pivot Podcast, not yet confirmed cards were displayed on the whiteboards behind him up until the end of July.
A pay-per-view card on July 2 was leaked topped by Israel Adesanya's middleweight title defence against Jarod Cannonier, with Nate Diaz fighting in a huge final fight against Khamzat Chimaev. Another card was leaked on July 30 which will feature a heavyweight outing between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
These latest card structures suggest McGregor is not expected to return before August with the Irishman likely to headline a pay-per-view event due to his superstar status. White had previously suggested that McGregor is not yet set to return despite the Irishman suggesting the "countdown is on" in a social media post.
The 33-year-old has also made a return to sparring and has shown off an impressive ripped physique since increasing his lifting of weights during his time out of the octagon. McGregor's manager Tim Simpson had previously claimed the summer will be an unlikely comeback date but expects the former double-champion to fight before the end of the year.
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“Really that’s on Conor [when to return], but I expect this year," Simpson told the MMA Hour. “He doesn’t need to come back, the fact he is who he is and what he has achieved financially and athletically. After that injury it was like ‘now might be the time’ but he wants to fight again which to me is baffling and says a lot about him.
“I don’t think it will be in the summer but it will definitely be some stage this year. Maybe we see when the lightweight title fight happens and go then. He will fight this year and it is a credit to him, he has no real reason to fight other than the fact he wants to and that is impressive."
Several options are on the table for McGregor who has spoken of his desire to be handed an immediate title shot at 170lb against Kamaru Usman. The likes of Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson have also called out the Irishman, while McGregor could potentially challenge the winner of Charles Oliveira's title defence against Justin Gaethje this weekend.
