It seems as though the Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone talks are over, and unfortunately for the many fans who were eagerly anticipating the clash, Dana White shared in an interview with ESPN that the fight was unable to be finalized:

“The fight just didn’t happen,” White said. “What Conor really wants is to fight Khabib. That’s the fight Conor really wants. So let him figure out what’s next.”

After Donald Cerrone’s most recent performance, defeating Alexander Hernandez at UFC on ESPN +1 in January, Cerrone made it known who his ideal next opponent would be, The Notorious One himself, Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor gave his blessing for the fight shortly thereafter, stating that he would fight Donald Cerrone after viewing Cerrone’s impressive victory over Hernandez. Before long, it appeared to be only a matter of time before the bout between the two was finalized. But after this sudden development, Dana White now has another opponent in mind for Cerrone:

“Cowboy was in my office yesterday. You know him. He wants to fight,” White said. “He’s ready to fight again. He wants to fight again. So we’re looking at another opponent for him. We’re looking at maybe him and Raging Al (Iaquinta).”

As for when fans can expect to see Conor McGregor back in action following his Nevada State Athletic Commission suspension, which is set to end in April, Dana White had a rough estimate in mind:

“We’ll see Conor fight probably in the fall,” White said.