MMA Insider Reveals Return Date & Potential Huge Fight for UFC Star Conor McGregor

We’re now almost three full months into 2026, and that means it’s time to start speculating about whether or not Conor McGregor will return to fight in the UFC this year.

The biggest star in the history of the UFC and MMA as a whole, McGregor hasn’t stepped into the cage since a broken ankle ended his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier after the opening round when the two men headlined UFC 264 in 2021.

There have been numerous obstacles and false starts to McGregor’s UFC return in the years since then, and he was scheduled to meet his fellow The Ultimate Fighter coach Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 in the summer of 2024 before withdrawing from that booking with a broken toe.

Ariel Helwani Claims Conor McGregor's UFC Return Is Set For July 11

The most recent rumors around McGregor were largely centered on the idea that he might have returned at the UFC White House card in June, but neither he, nor currently-retired UFC legend Jon Jones, will feature as part of the event that’s being dubbed “UFC Freedom Fights 250” on June 14.

That event may still turn out to be the biggest UFC show of the year even though fan reception to the fight card has been lukewarm at best, but Ariel Helwani claims that “The Notorious” could still steal the spotlight this summer with a return during International Fight Week on July 11.

Conor McGregor holds his leg after suffering an injury against Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“At this point, I think it would be safe to say that it would be a disastrous situation – something disastrous would have had to have happened, if he’s not fighting on July 11,” Helwani said this week. “They need this, now more than ever. They need Conor McGregor to be on this card…It feels to me like [Max Holloway] is trying to tell us ‘This is what I want’, and I don’t think he’s talking if things aren’t happening behind the scenes.”

Max Holloway & "The Notorious" Fought At Featherweight In 2013

Though there are obvious question marks around how he’ll physically look in the cage at this stage of his career, a rematch with Max Holloway would be a far bigger return fight for McGregor than many of the options that have been rumored during the last year or so.

The two men famously met during McGregor’s initial rise to stardom in the featherweight division in 2013. After winning his promotional debut with a first-round knockout against Marcus Brimage, McGregor injured his knee early in the fight with Holloway and employed a surprisingly wrestling-heavy style to take a unanimous decision over the Hawaiian.

Conor McGregor (black shorts) and Max Holloway (white shorts) fight during a UFC featherweight match at the TD Garden. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The result put Holloway on a two-fight skid and brought his overall UFC record to 3-3, but Holloway responded by going on a massive win streak that saw him establish himself as an all-time featherweight great with a title reign that included three successful defenses of his belt.

Max Holloway (red gloves) fights against Dustin Poirier (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Holloway took the “BMF” belt from Justin Gaethje with an iconic last-second knockout at UFC 300 before falling to Ilia Topuria in a failed bid to reclaim the featherweight title. Now a full-time lightweight, the 34-year-old retired fellow McGregor-rival Poirier and successfully defended the “BMF” title in their third meeting at UFC 318, but he was soundly out-grappled by fellow UFC legend Charles Oliveira in his second bid to defend the strap at UFC 326.