India, July 27 -- Conor McGregor's road back to the UFC has become much clearer after UFC president Dana White confirmed the Irish star is expected to be sidelined for at least a year. McGregor suffered a torn ACL during his UFC 329 rematch against Max Holloway earlier this month, cutting short his long-awaited comeback after five years away from the Octagon. The fight ended just 69 seconds into the opening round, bringing a frustrating end to one of the UFC's biggest return bouts.

White also revealed that he recently spoke to McGregor over FaceTime at Madison Square Garden, marking their first conversation since the injury. While the UFC boss had largely avoided discussing McGregor's future in recent weeks, he acknowledged that the form...