White: I respect McGregor, but the lightweight division must move forward

UFC President Dana White confirmed that the organization would strip Conor McGregor of the lightweight title if he is not ready to return to Octagon before September. The Irishman has won his belt in November 2016, but has not spent any defences.

"If McGregor returns in September, it will be almost two years after his last fight in UFC. This can not be allowed. This will be unfair to all other fighters. I love Conor, respect and appreciate everything he did for the organization. I'm talking about this all the time. But the division must move on. Now we are working on organizing a fight between Khabib and Tony. If Conor returns, he will have the opportunity to fight for the title immediately.

"I want Conor to start training, come back and defend his title. As long as Conor wants to fight, we will always do it. You know him. He decides when and what he needs to do. I emphasize once again that I always respected him for everything that he did for our company, but if he plans to return in September, the belt will go away," says White.