Conor McGregor's most obvious opponent for the UFC's White House card has been ruled out, but who else could be an option?
UFC president Dana White ruled out staging McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at the planned June 14 event.
White also told Complex News: "We'll see if Conor comes back or not. We have been talking about it for a while. We'll see how it plays out. I don't know."
But McGregor (22-6) continues to show off training footage on social media, despite not fighting since 2021.
If 'The Notorious' does step back into the Octagon, who could he fight this summer at the White House?
Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett shares his hopes for an undisputed lightweight title fight against Ilia Topuria in 2026.
Should Paddy Pimblett (23-3) beat Justin Gaethje on Saturday at UFC 324 for the interim lightweight championship, he has made it clear he wants to fight Ilia Topuria for the undisputed title, but if that's not an option, a fight with McGregor would probably be his next preference.
Fans in UK and Ireland would be spewing if it didn't happen on this side of the Atlantic, but it would still be an extremely enticing fight and could take the White House card to the next level.
Pimblett would be supremely confident he can beat McGregor and the pre-fight talk would be next level, too.
Even if Pimblett comes up short at UFC 324, he is quickly asserting himself as one of the sport's top characters. It's the type of fight which would gain attention.
Justin Gaethje
Paddy Pimblett gives his prediction for his UFC interim lightweight title fight against Justin Gaethje.
Should Gaethje (26-5) lose to Pimblett this weekend, it would no less of a spectacle should he face off with McGregor -- in fact, just take the words from the American's manager Ali Abdelaziz.
"Conor has more championship belts, but honestly this fight should have happened a long time ago," he told Submission Radio. "Can you imagine? What's a bigger fight than Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje at the White House?"
It is indeed a fight that should've happened a long time ago and while the fighters are much older now, it's one that would still have incredible appeal.
Gaethje has made no secret that he is nearing the end of his career. But, even if a title belt is out of his reach, prolonging his tenure to fight the sport's most famous face would surely motivate him.
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal (35-17) is another potential McGregor fight which has been on-again-off-again for several years.
Seeing two icons of the sport finally get it on would give fans the dose of nostalgia we all love. Neither has anything to lose, but everything to gain.
But UFC boss White called McGregor vs. Masvidal "goofy" in an interview with TMZ Sport.
Masvidal is now 41 years old and retired in 2023, following a fourth consecutive loss. He was beaten twice by Kamaru Usman, then by Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns after a late-career surge which saw him pick up the BMF belt by stopping Nate Diaz.
Arman Tsarukyan
Extremely unlikely, and while it wouldn't generate the mainstream interest of other fights, it would be an interesting match-up.
Arman Tsarukyan is in a bit of no-man's-land at the moment and would lunge at the chance to face McGregor after being overlooked for UFC 324 and the interim lightweight title.
The No. 1 ranked lightweight challenger was left out in the cold for a spot in this weekend's main-event between Pimblett and Gaethje. If the winner does challenge Topuria, he would be excluded again.
That is despite Tsarukyan's red-hot form. He has won five in a row, most recently submitting Dan Hooker.
A fight with Tsarukyan would be throwing McGregor into the deep end of the division he once ruled.