Speaking at a UFC news conference on Wednesday, White definitively said the promotion's biggest star will return at some point this year.

"Conor is coming back this year, 100 percent. He will fight this year," White said.

McGregor (21-3) hasn't fought in the UFC since November 2016. He took a hiatus from the Octagon to challenge undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) in the ring last August. McGregor lost via TKO.

White has expressed optimism in McGregor's return previously while warning that there was no guarantee he would fight again. He told ESPN last week that McGregor has expressed interest in a September return.

Earlier this year, McGregor said he had offered to fight Frankie Edgar on short notice at UFC 222 in March, but the UFC opted against it. White acknowledged to ESPN last week that the promotion wants a proper amount of time to promote McGregor's eventual comeback.

In McGregor's absence, the UFC is moving its 155-pound lightweight division forward this weekend. Featherweight champion Max Holloway (19-3) is slated to move up in weight on six days' notice to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0) for the lightweight title at UFC 223 inside Barclays Center. McGregor, the current lightweight champ, will be stripped of the belt.

Holloway, of Hawaii, accepted the bout on short notice when Nurmagomedov's original opponent, Tony Ferguson, withdrew due to injury.

"The great thing about us being able to pull this off and [Holloway] stepping up is this thing is a sellout, and all the trending pay-per-view says this is the biggest thing since [UFC 205, McGregor's last UFC bout]."

As far as who will face the winner of Saturday's title fight, that remains unclear. McGregor would be an obvious option, as would Ferguson, who is expected to lose his status as interim champion once Saturday's winner is crowned.