Dana White has named the first fighter set to compete at UFC 300.
The biggest star in the sport’s 30-year history, Conor McGregor, hasn’t fought since breaking his leg during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
White and McGregor have done great business together over the yearsCredit: getty
‘Notorious’ is booked to return against Michael Chandler and fans have been impatiently waiting all year for an update from the UFC CEO about exactly when his comeback will happen.
Many people, including former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, have been speculating that McGregor will return for White’s next landmark show – UFC 300.
However, the MMA mogul remains coy about his biggest stars fighting future.
“Conor is extremely wealthy and has a lot of different options in his life,” White told TNT Sports. “You know, when Conor gets that hunger back and really wants to come back and fight, it’s all up to him.
“If you look at what the guy has accomplished in such a short amount of time, the amount of money that he’s made [and] business opportunities that he’s taken outside of the Octagon – Conor can do whatever the hell Conor wants to do.
Without his prized asset, White is still determined to make UFC 300 a truly unmissable event and he promises MMA fans will be blown away when all is revealed.
He added: “You want to build these amazing cards that blow people’s minds, but there’s also a lot more to it with [UFC] 300.
“There’s this whole, ‘What is the feel of the show going to be around the show?’ There’s a lot more that goes into it than just the card.
The UFC boss is excited about what’s to come in 2024Credit: Getty
Miller has been vocal about his desire to compete at UFC 300 – now his spot on the card is officialCredit: 2023 Zuffa LLC
“What you can expect is, the first prelim of the night you’ll be going like, ‘Holy s***! This is the first prelim of the night? This is insane! This isn’t right, these two shouldn’t be on the first prelim of the night.’
“That’s how good [UFC] 300 is going to be.”
For now, he was happy to confirm lightweight veteran Jim Miller will feature on the card after previously making appearances at UFC 100 in 2009 and UFC 200 seven years later.
“That is a good story,” White said when alerted to the fact Miller appeared on his last two century-celebrating events.
“I’ll get that done for you. I’ll get Jim Miller on the card. Consider that done.”
Miller currently holds the UFC records for most bouts and most wins.
The 40-year-old knocked out Jesse Butler in June to secure his 36th professional victory and set up a clash with Gabriel Benitez on January 13.
All being well, Miller will return to camp soon after his 55th bout and start preparing for UFC 300.
