Conor McGregor’s manager Audie Attar appeared in an interview to discuss the long-awaited return of “The Notorious,” shedding light on why McGregor won’t be appearing on the upcoming UFC White House card and what fans can expect from the Irish superstar going forward.
McGregor was originally scheduled to compete against Michael Chandler at UFC 303, a bout that fell apart due to Chandler’s injury. Attar revealed that McGregor genuinely wanted to give Chandler that chance.
“Conor really wanted to give that to Michael Chandler,” Attar said. “He just felt, you know, Michael deserved it having gone through the show, having experienced that camp and then the unfortunate injury and cancellation of the bout. So Conor really wanted that to happen and we did everything to try to push it at the time. It just didn’t make sense for the UFC.”
Attar added that the door isn’t necessarily closed on that matchup either, noting they wish Chandler well at the White House event.
As for the White House card itself, Attar confirmed McGregor was considered for the event, but explained why the economics pointed elsewhere.
“It was definitely a possibility, but the UFC is actually donating so much in terms of giving up gate revenue. And based on the new deal we were able to negotiate, it just made more sense economically for them to utilize him at international week.”
Instead, McGregor will return on July 11th at IFW against Max Holloway, a matchup that will take place at 170 lbs (77 kg). Attar explained why Holloway emerged as the opponent.
“We know we got one on Max and he wants to get that back. We know they faced each other when they were both 145ers,” he said. “We know Max’s game and he’s going to put on a great performance and we just felt that there was the right matchup. One of the things obviously being out for the time that Conor’s been out for, it just made more sense to do it at 170, and Max was game right away.”
Charles Oliveira, who recently defeated Holloway, was never seriously considered according to Attar.
“I don’t think Charles was in any serious discussions,” he said, adding that McGregor isn’t chasing the BMF title and instead is focused purely on returning to action and getting his hand raised.
A Nate Diaz trilogy also remains on the table, with Attar confirming there was genuine interest on both sides, though scheduling ultimately prevented it from happening.
Looking ahead, Attar emphasized that McGregor has no plans to take another lengthy layoff after this match.
He stated, “He’s looking to stay active… We’re not going to wait a year, that’s for sure. We’re taking it one step at a time because Max Holloway is a formidable opponent and we’ve got to go handle business come July 11th.”
