UFC 196 moves to Fox Sports 1
White announces that, due to Cain Velazquez and Fabricio Werdum, pulling out of the main event fight due to injuries, the UFC’s upcoming event will not be a pay-per-view event, but instead will be shown on Fox Sports 1. The original co-main event, Hendricks against Thompson, will headline the upcoming fight card.
White: McGregor ‘obsessed’ with rematch
UFC president White says he talked to McGregor after his defeat by Diaz.
After the fight, Lorenzo (Fertitta) and I went up to Conor’s house that he was renting here in Las Vegas and started talking about what are you thinking, what’s next and he was obsessed — obsessed with fighting Nate Diaz again. Obviously, Lorenzo and I tried to argue with him and say ‘let’s go back down to 145 an defend your title’ or if you really want the Diaz fight that bad, do it at 155. He wants the fight at 170. Even his coach, coach (John) Kavanagh tried to get him off this rematch and off the 170 pound fight, but it’s what he wanted…[Nate said] ‘He wants to do it again, let’s do it again’. Nate was obviously up for the fight.
White: If McGregor calls ‘they could figure out’ UFC 200
UFC President White says McGregor’s management asked to move the media promotions to May but that wasn’t an option. At that time, White said it was “weird”. He also says McGregor needs to clear up his status soon because if he remains retired Aldo v Edgar will be for the featherweight title. White adds that if McGregor called him today to clear the air they could figure it out UFC 200.
I’m not mad at Conor. Conor made a decision and a choice to not fight on this card. That’s on him, man…Conor delivers. But he wasn’t planning on delivering this weekend, and I had to pull him. It’s what had to be done.
White: No deal with McGregor
White tells the Los Angeles Times in a text message that a deal for McGregor’s return is not true.
We haven’t talked [to] Conor or his manager since the press conference. I don’t know why he would tweet that.
White insists McGregor not on ticket
Speaking to TMZ, White repeats that McGregor is not on the ticket.
All the media keeps asking me that. I feel like the scene in Step Brothers when they ask if they can build the bunk beds. I don’t know how many more times I can say the fight is off or how many more press conferences I can have saying the fight is off for people to believe it’s off.
White refutes McGregor-Floyd fight reports
White responds to a report in the UK’s Sun tabloid, which reported that McGregor and Mayweather only have to agree on the purse to fight in the summer.
McGregor-Mayweather? No. It’d be very hard to pull off. I’ve heard Floyd is on a worldwide vacation on Mayweather Air spending millions in every country he visits.
He also says McGregor cannot fight outside of UFC:
Never. We’re his promoter. We’d have to make the fight. [The report is] completely fiction, this is like bottom-feeder … stuff.
White: McGregor relationship ‘great’
White says that he and McGregor have made up.
Conor and I have been talking every day, we’re going to have dinner next week. Our relationship is great, and we’re going to put the little speed bump in the road that happened there behind us and move forward. So everything is great…He will not be on 200. We’re going to get together next week and see what card he’s going to be on.
White to Mayweather: ‘Call me’
In an interview on the Dan Patrick show, White says that if Mayweather wants to fight McGregor, then he should give him a call.
"If Floyd @FloydMayweather wants to fight @TheNotoriousMMA….call me Floyd." –@danawhite on a Mayweather/McGregor fight. @dpshow
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) May 11, 2016
White: UFC 200 ‘ship has sailed’
White will meet with McGregor in Los Angeles.
[We] are having dinner with Conor McGregor. So tonight at like, 10 (p.m.), I’ll have a lot more answers on the Conor McGregor situation…[Conor] will not be on UFC 200. Not at all. That ship sailed. But we’ve put that behind us, and we’re in a good place with Conor, and we’re looking to make his next fight. We should have that done tonight.
McGregor: Relationship with UFC ‘in a good place’
McGregor says his meeting with White went well.
I met with Dana and Mr. Fertitta, good conversation like it always is. We have a good relationship. It is what it is. It happens. This is the fight game. Sometimes emotions get into it but it’s important to recognize that emotions have no place in business. We just set it aside. There’s no place for emotions in this. We are doing beautiful things so let’s continue. Let’s fix it and continue…I’d say [our relationship] is nice and in the middle. In a good place.
White waiting for Mayweather call
White says that he’s still waiting on Mayweather to call him.
People hit me up and say, ‘Did you see Floyd just posted a poster of them squared off and said they’re fighting in September?’ and this and that. Listen, I don’t care what Floyd says. There’s only one way this fight’s happening (and that’s) through me. Floyd’s got to call me. Floyd and I haven’t talked. Here’s the reality: I haven’t talked to Floyd Mayweather once. If you look at how long and how hard it took to get the (Manny) Pacquaio (vs. Mayweather) fight done, that’s the same sport. I don’t know what (Mayweather’s) angle is on this thing with Conor McGregor, but he’s not fighting Conor McGregor without calling me. It’s not going to happen.
Diaz slaps White
Diaz posts video to Instagram of him slapping White, saying.
Getting deals done today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGQJYQVOPpo/
Praises McGregor’s willingness to fight
White praises McGregor’s willingness to fight any opponent.
Conor McGregor doesn’t give a shit. I’ve been doing this for 16 years – I know who says yes, who says no, and Conor says no to nothing…People say I kiss his ass and do all this other stuff for him, but I f-cking respect the guy, who when you walk into his living room, he’s just waking up, eleven days before his fight, and he’s been training for a certain weight and certain opponent. I said: ‘These are the three options’. He says: ‘I’m going to train, let me know which one takes it’. I’ve dealt with very few men and women who say that.
White: McGregor, Diaz facing penalties for water bottle fight
White says that McGregor and Diaz may be sued, and may also face penalties for their water bottle fight. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will be in charge of issuing discipline.
The word is that in this thing, somebody was injured. So, there’s gonna be a lawsuit…Who knows how it’s gonna play out…I guarantee both of these guys are gonna get massive fines, and there’s probably going to be a hearing after the fight…[McGregor and Diaz] could be (facing) suspensions, community service, it’s gonna be ugly. … It’s going to cost them both a lot of money, a lot of headache and hassle. They’re both in big trouble.
White: Trilogy fight isn’t happening ‘right now’
White says a third meeting between McGregor and Diaz isn’t going to happen right away.
We’re definitely not doing this a third time right now. I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t want to see this fight again, but Conor’s either going to go defend his title or give his title up and then we’ll figure out where to go from there. Conor has to defend his title or make a decision to give it up or whatever he wants to do. I don’t know. I gotta sit down and see what’s next.
White: No trilogy fight
White says he does not want McGregor to fight again Diaz again in a “trilogy” fight. Instead he wants McGregor to defend his title against interim champ Aldo. He says McGregor has two options — either fight Aldo or surrender his title to him — or cut weight to 155 and fight Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title.
The war was fun and super successful but I’m movin’ on.
White: Rousey will eclipse McGregor
White says Rousey’s return will topple all UFC pay-per-view records set by McGregor, including his UFC 196 fight with Nate Diaz that raked in 1.5 million PPV buys and an estimated million-plus buys estimated for UFC 202.
I think that Ronda Rousey’s return will be the biggest pay-per-view we’ve ever done…If you had told me 15 years ago that women would be fighting in the UFC – and if you told me that women would be as technically sound as the men and the fights would be loved by millions of people all over the world and it’d be the hottest thing going on in the UFC – I would have never believed it.
White: McGregor won’t be stripped of title
White says that McGregor will not be stripped of his 145-pound belt.
He’s not gonna get stripped. He’s gonna make a decision. He knows that the Nate Diaz fight isn’t the fight to make right now. He has to either defend his title or give it up and decide what he wants to do next.
He also says he is satisfied with McGregor-Diaz at UFC 202:
Think about this, Pacquiao-Mayweather, the build up for that fight, everything else. That fight didn’t live up to the hype and I think, more importantly, it left a really bad taste in people’s mouths. I don’t think that was the case for Diaz-McGregor [2]. With the amount of people that were pulled in to watch that fight, everybody left satisfied and those are the kind of fights that make you want to come back and watch again.
White: No more McGregor welterweight fights
When asked whether a third fight between McGregor and Nate Diaz was likely to happen, White says:
I made that fight twice. That’s it. It’s time to move on because (McGregor) has the 145-pound title. At the end of the day, he’s a 145-pound fighter. He could go to (lightweight), but going back up to 170 makes absolutely no sense, and it clogs up the entire division, which isn’t fair to the rest of the crew.
White: McGregor not fighting at UFC 205
In response to a fan question on Twitter, White says UFC 205 will feature Alvarez vs Nurmagomedov, not McGregor. No official statement has been released by White or the UFC regarding McGregor or Aldo’s next fight as of yet.
not true it's @TeamKhabib
— danawhite (@danawhite) September 21, 2016