Conor McGregor will not fight at UFC 300, claims former MMA champion Ben Askren… as he gives his main event prediction for the landmark card in April

• Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his tibia more than two years ago
• There is significant speculation about when he will return to the Octagon 
• The haters will never forgive tarnished Conor Benn, but why this is a fight we just have to see – The Hook 

Former MMA star Ben Askren has predicted Conor McGregor will not make it onto the landmark UFC 300 card. 

MMA star McGregor hasn’t fought in more than two years after he broke his tibia when taking on Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

There has been significant speculation about when he would return to the sport, with McGregor having agreed to take on American star Michael Chandler in a UFC bout, but a date is still to be confirmed.

UFC 300 is expected to take place in April 2024 and the historic event is likely to feature some huge names in the sport.

However, former Bellator champion Askren – who also represented the US in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Olympics – didn’t think McGregor would be included, instead believing Israel Adesanya would move up to the light-heavyweight division for an iconic rematch with Alex Pereira.

Ben Askren has predicted Conor McGregor will not make it onto the landmark UFC 300 card

McGregor hasn’t fought in over two years after breaking his tibia against Dustin Poirier in 2021

‘I thought maybe he’d (Adesanya) bump up to fight Pereira again. Because Pereira seems to want that,’ he told From The Stands.

‘So I think that’s one route you could go: Pereira vs Adesanya. I think people would be into that.

‘People would be really into the return of Conor McGregor, but I’m not sure it’s actually happening, we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting, it may happen, it may not, we’ll see.’

Adesanya has faced several infamous clashes with Pereira down the years. The Brazilian beat Adesanya twice in kickboxing and then in the octagon when they moved into UFC.

However, Adesanya fought back and won by knockout in a rematch. 

A trilogy was on the cards but Pereira moved up to light-heavyweight, with Askren believing Adesanya might move up to line up a clash against him to headline the April card.

Meanwhile, McGregor has continued to cause confusion over his potential comeback date, with the Irishman previously insisting he is on course to return in the Spring, despite comments from his coach John Kavanagh suggesting he wouldn’t be back in the octagon until July 2024.

Replying to fans on social media about his return last month, one post from McGregor said: ‘I am confident we get the set date (April). There is no one holding no one back. A lot goes on behind the scenes but all involved are working hard to make it happen.’

Meanwhile, one supporter directly asked if he would was in or out for UFC 300, and McGregor replied ‘In!’

McGregor’s comments on social media also came after he had claimed when in attendance at Tyson Fury’s crossover bout with Francis Ngannou that he was all set for a return in April.

Askren felt another clash between Israel Adesanya (right) and Alex Pereira (left) would headline UFC 300 if Adesanya moved up to light-heavyweight

The timeframe for McGregor’s return continues to cause confusion in the fighting world 

He had told TNT Sports: ‘I’m in a great place, my body is fully healed and hopefully [I’ll be back in] April.

’I would have loved a December fight, I would have dialled in but I want to be honest not just to myself but also my fans.

’April is a lovely run up for me and I’d be happy with that. I’m in a good spot, I’ve been training – I’ve been leaving also. But I’ve been training and April seems like a good time to come back.

‘It’s almost three years now that I’ve been left from my way of living. So I’m eager to get back.’

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