Dana White speaks on Ice Cube double booking: ‘Everything is smooth and going in the right direction’

It was revealed earlier this month that an unlikely speed bump was slowing the progression of Conor McGregor’s superfight with Floyd Mayweather on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. That momentum stopper came in the form of rapper Ice Cube, who apparently booked his BIG3 basketball tournament for the same day inside T-Mobile Arena. Cube was willing to hand over the venue for the right price, but fight fans really didn’t know how they negotiations would go down. Luckily, UFC president Dana White finally shed light on the double booking in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.

“The Ice Cube thing was blown way out of proportion,” White said. “Ice Cube and I got that whole thing squashed. The reality, I guess Ice Cube thought that I was talking (expletive) about him or Floyd was talking (expletive) about him. Dude, I’m the biggest Ice Cube fan in the world, man. He’s a great guy. I watched ‘NWA’ 25,000 times. I’m a huge Ice Cube fan.”

If Ice Cube’s basketball tournament was going to put the kibosh on Mayweather vs. McGregor happening inside T-Mobile Arena then that would have been a pretty big deal. T-Mobile Arena is the ideal venue for such a monumental event. Fortunately, both sides have seemingly come to an agreement.

“He and I talked, and we got the whole thing – I don’t want to say squashed because there was never anything there – but we got it all worked out,” White explained. “But that whole thing with Ice Cube was being blown way out of proportion, number one. And number two, everything is smooth and going in the right direction.”

Now that the double booking has been worked out and the superfight can proceed without any unnecessary hiccups, White, McGregor, and Team Mayweather will have to decide who will referee the action this summer, as long as it’s not this guy.

It was revealed earlier this month that an unlikely speed bump was slowing the progression of Conor McGregor’s superfight with Floyd Mayweather on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. That momentum stopper came in the form of rapper Ice Cube, who apparently booked his BIG3 basketball tournament for the same day inside T-Mobile Arena. Cube was willing to hand over the venue for the right price, but fight fans really didn’t know how they negotiations would go down. Luckily, UFC president Dana White finally shed light on the double booking in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.

“The Ice Cube thing was blown way out of proportion,” White said. “Ice Cube and I got that whole thing squashed. The reality, I guess Ice Cube thought that I was talking (expletive) about him or Floyd was talking (expletive) about him. Dude, I’m the biggest Ice Cube fan in the world, man. He’s a great guy. I watched ‘NWA’ 25,000 times. I’m a huge Ice Cube fan.”

If Ice Cube’s basketball tournament was going to put the kibosh on Mayweather vs. McGregor happening inside T-Mobile Arena then that would have been a pretty big deal. T-Mobile Arena is the ideal venue for such a monumental event. Fortunately, both sides have seemingly come to an agreement.

“He and I talked, and we got the whole thing – I don’t want to say squashed because there was never anything there – but we got it all worked out,” White explained. “But that whole thing with Ice Cube was being blown way out of proportion, number one. And number two, everything is smooth and going in the right direction.”

Now that the double booking has been worked out and the superfight can proceed without any unnecessary hiccups, White, McGregor, and Team Mayweather will have to decide who will referee the action this summer, as long as it’s not this guy.