Dana White says he "didn't even know" Conor McGregor accepted rematch with Floyd Mayweather
Dana White has admitted that he had no idea about Conor McGregor's recent post hinting at a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. The UFC president confessed that he has no interest in seeing the fight.
Their first bout in 2017 was dubbed 'The Money Fight' and was the first time White co-promoted an event with boxing. 'The Notorious' lost the fight via a 10th-round TKO, and Dana White has since admitted he doesn't want to return to boxing in any capacity.
Many fighters on the UFC roster are interested in transitioning to boxing, including heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and even Nate Diaz. However, per their UFC contracts, they cannot appear for a different organization. The 52-year-old made an exception in 2017 for McGregor because, at the time, White was interested in setting up his own boxing promotion.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, the UFC president was asked his thoughts on the news that Conor McGregor reportedly accepted a rematch with 'Money' Mayweather, to which he said:
"That's definitely people talking. I have less than zero interest in seeing that again. [Asked if Conor McGregor was being serious or simply trolling, White added]... I have no idea, I didn't even know that, I haven't seen it."
Conor McGregor is game for another boxing match with Floyd Mayweather 🥊 (via @TheNotoriousMMA) https://t.co/kl4UqlJOid
The Irishman's payday from his first fight with Mayweather Jr. was the biggest of his career. Although the 33-year-old has set multiple pay-per-view records inside the octagon, his one stint in boxing earned him more than all of his UFC fights combined. McGregor guaranteed himself a $30 million disclosed cheque; however, his purse rose to over $100 million after the PPV buys were accounted for.
'The Notorious' is no stranger to driving fan speculation on social media. The former champ-champ often posts antagonizing messages and later deletes them. Fans should likely not read too much into a boxing return as Dana White remains convinced McGregor will return to the octagon later this year or early 2023.
Watch Dana White's interview below:
Max Holloway unsurprised if Conor McGregor doesn't make UFC return
While the Irishman is expected to make his octagon comeback following a serious leg break last year, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway wouldn't be surprised if 'The Notorious' didn't fight again.
Ahead of his trilogy fight with Alexander Volkanovski, 'Blessed', who fought McGregor in 2013, admitted he wouldn't blame the 33-year-old for stepping away completely:
"You know, with all this Conor talk and saying whatever, he never even committed to coming back. He never once said that he would come back. And rightfully so, he shouldn't. Conor is what everybody wants to be, everyone wants to get in this fight game, make the money, and save [their] chicken. I wouldn't even blame him if he didn't want to come back."
Conor McGregor fought Max Holloway 8 years ago today.
Since then, McGregor became UFC's first-ever double champ and headlined 8 of the top 10 UFC PPVs of all time, according to reports.
Holloway reeled off a record 14 straight featherweight wins, including three title defenses. https://t.co/5MarssotWt
Although Dana White admitted he likes the idea of a fight between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor, the list of potential opponents ahead of a return grows by the day. Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira revealed he was interested in fighting McGregor, as has welterweight and 'BMF' champion Jorge Masvidal.