Yahoo Sports UFC return or retire - what next for injured McGregor?
Conor McGregor says he is determined to return to action after confirming a toe injury forced him to withdraw from his UFC comeback.
McGregor was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout on 29 June.
The Irishman remains the UFC's biggest draw despite his recent mixed fortunes in the octagon.
McGregor, 35, vowed he would "never lose a fight again", but when might the former two-weight champion return or could he focus on other endeavours?
When will McGregor's next fight be?
The date of McGregor's return is very much up in the air.
He made a surprise appearance at a Bellator fight night in Dublin at the 3Arena on Saturday.
Wearing slippers and limping at times, McGregor cornered his gym team-mate Sinead Kavanagh for her loss against Arlene Blencowe.
McGregor did an interview between fights, saying: "I'm walking in there 100 per cent Conor McGregor, injury free. Perfection is on the menu with me."
McGregor says he suffered the toe injury three weeks ago after he neglected to wear full protective gear in a sparring session.
He told Severe MMA in Dublin he would "love" to fight in August or September, but UFC president Dana White appeared to pour cold water over that suggestion.
"Our schedule is laid out [for August and September]. We'll see. I'm not doing anything until I know that Conor is healthy. It's not even worth talking about," White said in response to McGregor's comments.
If McGregor's return were to happen in August or September, the UFC would have to create a new pay-per-view event in its calendar.
As for an opponent, it seems likely McGregor will stick with Chandler.
Possibility of retirement?
As well as refusing to commit to a timeframe for McGregor's return, White has also suggested his star fighter may not compete again.
McGregor is a two-weight UFC champion, but he has only fought four times since claiming the lightweight championship in 2016.
Three of those fights have been defeats, once to Khabib Nurmagomedov and twice to Dustin Poirier, with the most recent loss coming via a leg break.
McGregor has branched out considerably from his fight career as his fame has grown, boxing Floyd Mayweather in 2017, setting up his own alcohol business and co-starring with Jake Gyllenhaal in the movie Road House in 2024.
It is possible he decides against a comeback, although McGregor himself has repeatedly said he will fight again for the UFC.
How many fights are left on McGregor's UFC contract?
One reason why McGregor might be keen to fight again is to see out his current UFC contract.
The Dubliner confirmed on Saturday there are two bouts left on his deal.
McGregor has been in talks about a renewal, but it is unclear what that might look like with McGregor due to turn 36 in July.
While he is under contract with the UFC, McGregor is not free to compete in other combat sports and needed the permission of the MMA promotion to box Mayweather.
After announcing he had bought a stake in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships in April, McGregor is expanding his horizons in fight sports.
The resolution to his UFC contract is not likely to happen before his next fight, whenever that may be.
