Although he recently declared that anyone who believed UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor should be stripped of the title “is a Conor hater” during a bizarre defense of his biggest star, UFC president Dana White began to change his tune today during an exclusive interview with Yahoo’s Kevin Iole.
White stated that McGregor had until March to make his return known, at which point interim champion Tony Ferguson would face top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in the spring and the winner would go on to meet McGregor to unify the belts. McGregor has supposedly targeted a summertime date sometime around August, but White said if that were the case, the UFC may have to move on and book Ferguson vs. Khabib for the official title.
His reasoning is now much more in line with the general consensus of much of the UFc fanbase, as even feversihMcGregor supporters have dubbed his inactivity insulting to the fighting spirit the UFC claims to embody. All of the sudden, White seems to agree that McGregor is holding up the division, and while that’s definitely costing the UFC huge potential paydays, White acknowledged it’s also costing the top fighters in the talented division a big part of their prime:
“Not only to the sport, but to the other fighters,” White said. “This is game of time. Time is your enemy in this sport, or any other sport. When you’re a professional athlete, time is your enemy, and we can’t let this thing go on forever and not give other guys the opportunity. Tony Ferguson has been around for a long time and has earned his dues, Khabib has earned his dues, and the list goes on and on.
“So, Conor has done very well, he’s made a lot of money, and if he decides that he doesn’t want to fight again for another, however long, that’s up to him. That’s his choice and his decision. But the belt has to move on, so we’ve gotta figure some stuff out about him in the next couple of months.”
Indeed they do need to figure out what to do with their biggest star, because even though they enjoyed the financial windfall of his boxing match with McGregor, it also clearly made him question if he ever wants to fight in the UFC again or not, and he might never return. He has the cash not to.
It’s also made him question his worth to UFC owners Endeavor, and with McGregor supposedly seeking an ownership stake of his own before he returns to the UFC, many are speculating that will keep him out of action for some time.
White believes an amicable deal will be met, however, noting that he’s Never been adverse to paying McGregor and is not right now.
To him, the question is if he actually wants to fight:
“I’ve never been afraid to pay Conor McGregor money. Conor McGregor brings the money in, and we’ve laid out a really nice offer for him, and he’s a smart kid. I think we’ll figure it out. I’ve always figured it out with him. I’ve always ended up getting a deal done with Conor McGregor.
“The question is, and you’re right, does he have so much money that he doesn’t care anymore and he doesn’t really want to fight? That’s up to him, but in no way, shape, or form am I asking him to come back and not make money, because he’s going to make money.”
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