White reveals long layoff for Conor McGregor

UFC boss Dana White has opened up about when fans can expect to see Conor McGregor back in the octagon, and it's not for some time.

The lightweight and featherweight champion, McGregor has been one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster.

He's had four bouts in 11 months, but is finally taking a break.

McGregor recently hinted that he'd be out of action until the birth of his first child in May 2017, and White has now confirmed the news.

"He won't fight before May," White told the LA Times. "His girl gets super stressed out when he fights. He doesn't want her having any of that stress while she's pregnant.

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"He's good. He should take time off. He's been fighting nonstop. Nothing wrong with him taking time off. It's good for him and her and it's good for the baby."

The lengthy break looks like being McGregor's longest layoff since the start of his UFC career.

He had 11 months out of the Octagon from August 2013 to July 2014 before he was a household name.

White didn't address McGregor's recent demand for a stake in UFC ownership, remaining confident the company will endure the Irishman's time off.

"We've done this for 16 years, with a lot of big stars who couldn't fight or moved on – Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre," White said. "There's not a day in this office I don't get the question, 'What are we going to do about this guy?' Every day I turn around, I've got a reporter saying we've peaked.

"If I listened to any of that — we probably would be done."