Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
UFC president Dana White lays out the plans for Conor McGregor in relation to the 155-pound title picture.
As of this posting, the UFC lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson is scheduled to headline UFC 249 on April 19 in Brooklyn. It is so far the fifth booking attempt from the company after previous cancellations due to health issues and self-inflicted injuries on both fighters.
These failed attempts have left some people jaded and disinterested in the matchup. According to UFC president Dana White, one of them is apparently Conor McGregor, who isn’t counting on the fight to push through.
“Here’s the thing: Realistically, Conor believes that Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson will not happen,” White said in a recent interview with TMZ Sports (transcript by MMA Junkie). “We’ve tried to do this fight many, many times. Conor believes it won’t happen.”
White adds that McGregor is still focused on reclaiming the 155-pound title, which he failed to win back against Khabib at UFC 229 in 2018.
“Conor wanted to do this fight (with Donald Cerrone) at 170 because he wants to turn right around and jump in and fight Khabib if that fight (with Ferguson) doesn’t happen,” White explained. “So again, we’ll see how this plays out. We’ll see what happens after this, and Conor is very focused on that rematch with Khabib.”
McGregor will first need to get through “Cowboy” this Saturday at UFC 246, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.