UFC president Dana White says if Conor McGregor fights in the promotion again “it will be sometime next year.”
Last month, an Irish jury found McGregor responsible for assault in a civil rape case brought by Nikita Hand.
The Irishman was ordered to pay Ms Hand almost €250,000 (£206,000) in damages and legal costs.
McGregor, who had denied the allegations, has already said he will appeal.
When asked by reporters at a press conference after UFC 310 for his reaction to the outcome of the civil case, White responded, “If I had a comment, I would have posted it by now.”
White was then asked to clarify McGregor’s position in the UFC.
“How long has it been since he fought here? If he fights, it will be next year,” White added.
McGregor has not fought in the UFC since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, while his return against Michael Chandler in June was canceled after the The Irishman broke his toe.
The Dublin High Court jury found that McGregor had assaulted Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
The UFC asked some journalists not to ask fellow Irishman Ian Machado Garry questions about McGregor during UFC 310 fight week.
The UFC said Machado Garry did not want to discuss the issue and would rather focus on his fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov, who Kazakh welterweight won by unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, White was not seen at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, an event he normally hosts, but answered questions at another press conference on Friday to promote UFC 311 in January. They didn’t ask him about McGregor.
Could UFC ban McGregor from fighting?
In short, yes, the UFC could take steps to ban McGregor from fighting in the promotion.
The UFC Athlete Conduct Policy It gives guidelines on the behavior that the organization expects from its combatants.
It says athletes should not engage in behavior that “reflects negatively on or brings discredit, contempt, scandal, ridicule or disdain toward the athlete or the UFC.”
It adds that sanctions can be imposed on combatants who engage in misconduct, listing a number of examples, including “violent, threatening or harassing behavior, intimidation, assault, domestic violence, sexual harassment and other inappropriate sexual conduct.”
Although the UFC has previously imposed sanctions on athletes for violating the policy, examples are scarce and disciplinary actions are more often tied to the sport than a fighter’s behavior outside the octagon.
Jon Jones was punished by UFC on two separate occasions in 2015, including being fined £19,500 for taking cocaine, while he was later suspended and stripped of his light heavyweight title for his involvement in a hit-and-run incident.
One of the most recent times the UFC imposed sanctions was in December 2022, when released Darrick Minner and warned fighters not to train with trainer James Krause after the pair allegedly violated their betting rules, pending an investigation by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
The UFC later confirmed that fighter Jeff Molina was suspended as part of the same investigation, which is still ongoing.
McGregor, meanwhile, has escaped punishment from the UFC on numerous occasions over the years for behavior that could be considered to violate its policy.
In 2018, McGregor injured several fighters by throwing a metal dolly at a bus. He was not punished by the UFC but he was Ordered to perform five days of community service. by a US court.
months later McGregor was involved in a large-scale fight inside the octagon after the loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Again, the UFC did not sanction the Irishman, but he was suspended for six months and fined by the NSAC.
Last year, The white man was not punished. by the UFC after video surfaced of him in a physical altercation with his wife, while numerous fighters have escaped sanctions for using homophobic insults and for being involved in fights far from the fight.
No public action was taken against Jorge Masvidal when he punched British wrestler Leon Edwards backstage at an event in 2019.
The UFC’s disciplinary process is essentially at its own discretion and the promotion often leaves external matters to authorities or state athletic commissions that oversee its events.
However, other major American sports regularly sanction athletes for actions outside of the sport.
The NFL made sweeping changes to its personal conduct policy in 2021 to include punishments for conduct outside of the sport, including domestic violence and sexual assault.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games in 2022 after numerous women accused him of sexual assault.
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