UFC CEO Dana White thinks Conor McGregor’s mental warfare and trash talk is right up there with Muhammad Ali as one of the best ever.
McGregor is known for his trash talk and getting into his opponents’ heads, as he did it well ahead of the Jose Aldo fight. Speaking on the Flagrant podcast with Andrew Schulz before the Dublin press conference was cancelled, White heaped praise on Conor McGregor for his ability to play mind games.
“I don’t ever like to compare people to Muhammad Ali, ’cause to me, he’s the f—ing [man],” White said (via MiddleEasy). “And f— what he did in fighting, just as a human, what that guy accomplished, right? But, I don’t give a f— what anybody says. Ali, Conor, [same] level when it comes to mental warfare, really the two best of all time when it comes to mental warfare.
If you look back at Ali and you look at what he did to George Foreman in Africa, you look at what he did to Joe Frazier… Joe Frazier f—ing hated Muhammad Ali so f—ing badly. He’d show up at his camp outside and f—ing do all this s—. He would predict rounds. He would come up with f—ing incredible poems and sayings and things that he would do leading up to the fight,” White added.
“Then, you look at Conor McGregor,” White continued. “He’s picked rounds. I mean, the mental warfare that this guy had on so many of his opponents. And he would make these guys play into his game, get into their heads, f—ing embarrass them, and outwit them in every way, shape and form. The Eddie Alvarez fight going into Madison Square Garden, he is literally at Ali’s level when it came to mental warfare.”
McGregor is one of the top trash-talkers in MMA’s history, and he no doubt has gotten in opponent’s heads in the past.
‘Great Optimism’ Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler happens at UFC 303
After the UFC postponed the Dublin press conference on Monday between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler many fans were worried that the fight would be off.
The UFC removed all of McGregor’s free fights on YouTube and the pay-per-view was no longer available for purchase. But, on Wednesday, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani revealed there is optimism that the fight will happen at UFC 303.
“The vibes could not be any more different than Sunday and Monday,” Helwani said on The MMA Hour. “The positivity could not be any greater; it’s so much higher now; there is great optimism that all systems are a go.”
McGregor hasn’t fought since July of 2021 when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy match.