Conor McGregor To Meet Dana White In Liverpool To Discuss UFC Future

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White is set to meet former lightweight champion Conor McGregor this week to discuss his future with the company.

McGregor last fought in the octagon when he defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016 to become the lightweight champion. However, he would remain inactive in MMA as he ventured into the boxing world to face Floyd Mayweather last year.

With the title yet to be defended, White would book a lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 in April, with the Irishman getting stripped of the belt as soon as they stepped into the cage.

In the end, Nurmagomedov ended up fighting New York native Al Iaquinta for the strap on short notice following a freak injury suffered by Ferguson in the week of the event, but that was the least of the headlines.

A few days before the event, McGregor infamously hurled a dolly at a bus occupied by UFC fighters including Nurmagomedov, allegedly due to the latter threatening his teammate Artem Lobov.

The 29-year-old and his entourage would then flee the scene before turning himself in to the police as two scheduled fights ended up getting cancelled due to injuries from McGregor's attack.

"The Notorious" eventually appeared at a New York court where he was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief and is due back again on June 14.

Yet to be disciplined by the UFC for his actions, White revealed he will be meeting with McGregor in Liverpool this week to discuss his future as the Las Vegas-based promotion heads over there for a first-ever event headlined by a welterweight fight between Stephen Thompson and Darren Till.

"Obviously he has to deal with that [court appearance] in June," White said, as per MMA Junkie. "I’m flying to Liverpool this weekend for a fight there, and he and I are going to meet in Liverpool. ... We’re going to sit down and talk about his future and what’s next. But obviously I have nothing to do with the legal issues. He has to figure that out on his own."

Before the events took place, White claimed McGregor was likely to return in September where he would ideally face the new lightweight champion.

With Nurmagomedov now the reigning 155-pound champion, the intrigue for McGregor to face him increased even further as the unbeaten Russian remains open to a fight which he believes would generate two or three million pay-per-view buys.

"Conor [McGregor] is very big name," Nurmagomedov said last month after UFC 223. "It's going to be big pay-per-[view] show, like two, three million pay-per-view buy[s]. Why not if Georges St-Pierre don't come [to] 155?"

"We have to finish these things, this beef—maybe chicken. Let's talk about chicken. He have to stop eat[ing] Burger Kings and come back here. Too much Burger Kings. You want to fight with me? Come here. I'm here. My last three month[s], I fight twice. I fight this (Edson) Barboza. I fight this Iaquinta. Iaquinta is tough kid. Barboza is tough kid. I'm here. Now, UFC have only one champion, real, undisputed, and undefeated. Let's go."

UFC Liverpool takes place Sunday at the Echo Arena.