Conor McGregor promises to be back soon amid Dana White caution warning

Conor McGregor has made a determined promise to return to the octagon after withdrawing from a fight for the first time in his UFC career. The Irish fighter was set to make his long-awaited comeback early Sunday morning as the main event of UFC 303 in Las Vegas.

Yet, a broken toe suffered during one of his final sparring sessions forced him to pull out of his highly anticipated bout with Michael Chandler.

McGregor UFC return

Despite this setback, McGregor" is resolute in his intention to return to fighting. He recently posted on Instagram, featuring his quick 40-second knockout of Donald Cerrone, with the caption: "I'll be back." McGregor is eyeing a return to the octagon before the end of summer.

"August, September, I'd love [that]," he told SevereMMA.

"I'm in recovery mode.

"It's three weeks to the day, it happened three weeks ago today. I'm still here rocking around in the slippers.

"They're not bad slippers, thankfully and they're cosy enough but I can't get into a shoe yet.

"They put stem cells in my foot.

"They came and took it from the back and put it in my foot, 20 mg of stem cells out of my own back, from the bone marrow in and right into the break.

"My f***ing toe is sore and I don't know if the stem cells into the break was the right move.

"Because you know the way chicks put the filler in their face: my f***ing baby toe looks like that.

"I don't think it's the swelling anymore. I think it's just the stem cells in my toe."

However, UFC CEO and President Dana White has taken a cautious approach regarding McGregor's comeback.

"I'm not doing anything until I know that Conor is healthy," he noted.

"It's not even worth talking about.

"What about September? What about October?

"He's not ready. So why even talk about that?

"I'm not thinking about Conor fighting anybody right now. I have no time frame, I have nothing.

"McGregor's not even healed yet. McGregor's hurt."