Dana White says McGregor out for a year

Dana White has said Conor McGregor will be out for a year following the knee injury suffered in McGregor’s comeback fight at UFC 329. White delivered the update after taking a FaceTime call from McGregor during Zuffa Boxing’s debut event in New York City, where the UFC executive was speaking after the show. The call marked the first time the pair had spoken by FaceTime since McGregor’s injury, according to the reported account.

The development gives Dana White’s clearest stated timeframe on McGregor since the fighter’s return was cut short moments into his rematch with Max Holloway. White had faced questions in the weeks after UFC 329 about McGregor’s next move as McGregor heads into the last fight of his deal, but he had previously kept the focus away from another fight. On this occasion, White was direct when asked about videos showing McGregor doing leg exercises during his recovery. His answer did not lay out a comeback plan, opponent or event. Instead, it established the immediate point: Dana White expects McGregor to remain away from the octagon for another year.

Dana White gives a clear injury timeframe

Dana White’s update came at the Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden during Zuffa Boxing’s first event in New York City. McGregor was not physically at the venue. He was reported to be in California recovering from a torn ACL sustained in the opening exchange of his UFC 329 rematch with Holloway, but he joined the night through FaceTime. White said the pair had McGregor on FaceTime ringside before addressing the injury timeline at the post-fight press conference.

Asked to react to the training clips, Dana White initially said, “I have no idea.” He then confirmed the call and made his position on the recovery period unmistakable: “Conor McGregor is out for a year.” The phrasing is significant because it separates a confirmed absence from any discussion of what comes after it. The available report identifies the injury and White’s expected timeframe, but does not confirm a return date, a future opponent or a booked UFC appearance. Dana White also appeared frustrated when the questioning returned to McGregor, joking that the flow of questions had been disrupted by the subject. Even so, the exchange produced the night’s most concrete update concerning McGregor’s status.

The update came during a busy New York night

Dana White’s FaceTime moment took place alongside a successful Zuffa Boxing launch in New York. Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins recorded hometown victories, while Islam Makhachev and Nico Ali Walsh were among those in attendance. Those details frame why McGregor’s remote appearance stood out: the event had its own boxing results and notable guests, yet Dana White’s call with McGregor became the major UFC-related news from the evening. The reported sequence also shows that White’s assessment followed weeks of questions about McGregor rather than a newly announced fight plan. McGregor’s return had broken records for viewership and live gate, but Dana White said another McGregor fight was at the back of his mind. For now, the confirmed development is the recovery window White outlined, not a decision about the final fight of McGregor’s deal.

• Dana White said McGregor was on FaceTime ringside during Zuffa Boxing’s New York debut.
• Dana White stated that McGregor will be out for a year after the knee injury.

Dana White did not announce a date, opponent or event for McGregor’s return. What he did provide was a firm public assessment of the immediate situation after speaking with McGregor by FaceTime: the injury recovery is expected to keep him out of the octagon for a year. That is the key takeaway from Dana White’s update in New York.

Sources: Bloody Elbow