Are Conor McGregor and Dana White friends?
Despite some ups and downs in their relationship over the past few years, UFC president Dana White and former two-division champion Conor McGregor continue to be good friends. On an episode of Mike Tyson's Hotboxin' podcast back in March, White also claimed that the Irishman is his favorite fighter in the UFC.
Conor McGregor's massive rise to stardom made him friends with the top-brass of the UFC even in his early days in the promotion. White has always been an admirer of the Irishman and the pair would often be seen hanging out together and indulging in post-fight drinking sessions at McGregor’s mansion.
White even accompanied McGregor on his world tour of press-conferences ahead of the 32-year-old's 2017 clash with Floyd Mayweather.
However, Conor McGregor and Dana White were at loggerheads only as recently as last year when the controversial athlete leaked some private messages sent to him by White on Twitter.
When Dana White blasted Conor McGregor for breaking unwritten 'man code'
The leak enraged the UFC president, who publicly blasted Conor McGregor for dishonoring an unwritten 'man code' by publicizing their private chat.
Addressing the incident at the UFC 253 post-fight press conference, White stated the following:
“Listen, I’ve had people blowing me up left and right,” White said. “I mean everybody here knows, even the ladies, this is some man code stuff. It’s just something you don’t do. It’s one of the dirtiest things you can do, which by the way, because we were just talking about Diego Sanchez and Diego Sanchez is in there in a private conversation I was having with Conor. When you’re the No. 2 or 3 ranked guy in the world and you’re telling me that you want to fight but you want to fight unranked, 39-year-old Diego Sanchez in a main event in Los Angeles?”
In response, Conor McGregor called White a liar for stating that he was turning down fights. Tweeting his response to White's comments, McGregor stated the following:
“Code was broke when you lied about me turning down fights mate. I said Justin (Gaethje) in May and you went and said I did not want to fight. It’s not about Diego. Diego was a filler to get more fights in. Also you have been involved in Manny (Pacquiao) talks the legal letters are there. Stop lying”
While it seemed like McGregor and White's relationship was beyond repair, the pair soon made up ahead of McGregor's octagon return earlier this year at UFC 257.