With Conor McGregor’s year-end return off the table, UFC President Dana White is shifting his attention to another high season for pay-per-view business.

White today told ESPN’s “Sportscenter” (via MMANYTT.com) he hopes to have McGregor back in the octagon by Summer 2018.

“Get through the holidays, and hopefully he starts to get the itch to come back and hopefully we can get him back this summer,” said White.

McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC), the No. 1 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings and No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter, has yet to defend the lightweight title he won in November 2016. A return was targeted by the UFC for its end-of-the-year event at UFC 219, but the promotion reportedly nixed that following a McGregor’s recent misbehavior outside the cage.

A blockbuster payday from his August boxing match with Floyd Mayweather has put McGregor in the driver’s seat with his career. The Irish champ, who reportedly banked more than $100 million for “The Money Fight,” has said he wants an ownership stake in the UFC, which White won’t entertain.

Meanwhile, a logjam of title contenders now waits to advance while interim champion Tony Ferguson (24-3 MMA, 14-1 UFC) pushes for a title unifier.

White called the situation a “mess” and said a fight on Saturday between Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and Edson Barboza (19-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) at UFC 219 will begin to clear the blockage at the top of the lightweight division.

“Whoever wins the Barboza-Khabib fight – while we’re trying to figure out this Conor mess – could end up fighting Tony Ferguson for the opportunity to fight Conor McGregor,” he said.

Despite the situation, the UFC executive said his recent conversations with McGregor haven’t been about fighting. After the holidays, though, he plans to get serious about making a deal.

The UFC typically holds a major summer event in July during its International Fight Week gathering, with major stars and title fights booked to bolster crowds in Las Vegas.

A McGregor return undoubtedly would propel any event to blockbuster status. But White claimed money isn’t the main factor that will determine whether the champ returns.

“Money is always a factor, but we’ve never had a problem getting a deal done with Conor McGregor,” White said. “I don’t see that being a problem,” White said. “The question is, does he want to come back and do it?

“No matter how much money you make, I always feel like with certain people, you can only go on so many vacations, (and) there’s only so much stuff you can buy, and then you’re ready to get back to the grind, hopefully.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.