August 14, 2024 – 1:26 AM PDT

(Reuters) – Former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor will not make his long-awaited return to the Octagon this year, UFC President Dana White said.

McGregor has not fought since losing to Dustin Poirier in 2021, a bout in which he also suffered a broken leg. The 36-year-old withdrew from his scheduled UFC 303 welterweight bout against Michael Chandler in June due to a broken toe.

“We didn’t meet up but we talked, and yeah, (McGregor) wants to fight. So we’ll figure it out. (But) not this year. He won’t fight this year,” White told reporters on Tuesday.

Irishman McGregor responded in a post on X saying he wanted to fight at the end of the year.

“December is the date! Bring the calendar year home with a winning event!” McGregor wrote. “I am off to altitude next month to prepare. Tell Dana and UFC we want December! We deserve December!”

^{Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford}