Conor McGregor Dublin return not possible before end of year - Dana White

Conor McGregorGetty Images

Conor McGregor announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in March

Conor McGregor will not make his UFC comeback in Dublin this year, says the organisation's president Dana White.

The former two-weight champion seemed to hint at a return date by tweeting "Dublin, December 14th" on Monday.

But with UFC 245 taking place on the same date in Las Vegas, White says McGregor's only option is to fight on that card or wait until 2020.

McGregor, 31, has not fought since his ill-tempered defeat by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 last October.

The Irishman, who announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in March, told ESPN in August he would seek a fight for the "end of the year".

Many concluded Monday's cryptic tweet was confirmation of a return to the octagon in his home city.

But, speaking during a Q&A session on Twitter, White said: "If he doesn't fight on that [Vegas] card, he'll fight early next year."