Why isn’t Conor McGregor competing at UFC 300? ‘Notorious’ Irish fighter absent from MMA event

The UFC will celebrate its history with a stacked UFC 300 card at the T-Mobile Arena. Over ten former and current champions will be in action, while several fighters look to impress a fight-hungry fanbase on April 13. The event will be broadcast on ESPN+ PPV in the U.S.

UFC CEO Dana White has predicted that the show will break both gate and PPV records. Those lofty expectations are due to a star-studded lineup that includes Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, Holly Holm, Kayla Harrison and Aljamain Sterling.

However, one name notably absent from the card is Conor McGregor.

McGregor hasn’t fought since losing to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He broke his tibia in the fight, which required surgery and a long period of physiotherapy. But given the timeline, it would seem that McGregor would be fit enough now to compete against fellow Ultimate Fighter coach Michael Chandler, right?

WATCH: UFC 300: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill, exclusively on ESPN+

Is this situation similar to UFC 200 when McGregor was supposed to fight Nate Diaz in a rematch but failed to meet media obligations and was removed from the card as a result? That fight was ultimately rescheduled for UFC 202.

Why isn’t Conor McGregor fighting at UFC 300?

The simple answer is that McGregor was not booked for UFC 300.

When asked at UFC 298 about McGregor’s status, White brought up McGregor’s finances and the promotion of his movie Road House.

“Anytime we get Conor, we’ll be thrilled when he comes back and fights,” White said via Sports Illustrated. “But, money complicates a lot of things. He just filmed a movie. He’s gotta do the press for the movie and he’s got obligations with that. He does want to fight this year, but we’ll see what happens.”

MORE: How much are tickets for UFC 300?

McGregor has a net worth of $200 million, a majority of the wealth coming from a fight against Floyd Mayweather and his whiskey business. Road House, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, came out on March 8 via Amazon Prime Video.

Chandler, who hasn’t seen action since November 2022, has attempted to fight McGregor. He even went on Monday Night Raw and called him out.

McGregor has stated on red-carpet events that he’s ready to go. If all goes according to plan, the fight is slated to take place in the summer at UFC 303 on International Fight Week.

“We got confirmation a few days ago that it’s all systems go,” said McGregor to ESPN. “And ‘The Mac,’ ‘The Notorious’ will be returning to the UFC octagon this summer.”

The Sporting News will provide updates on McGregor’s status when available.