Dana White: Conor McGregor Returning To UFC Is 'No Guarantee'
Dana White: Conor McGregor Returning To UFC Is 'No Guarantee'
UFC President Dana White shares insight on why Conor McGregor may not return to fight in UFC.
Conor McGregor and the UFC have accomplished a lot in their time working together over the past four years.
The promotion helped pushed the Irishman like few fighters before him, and in turn, "Notorious" delivered hand over fist on his guarantee to become the biggest draw in the sport and make history in the process.
Last November at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden, the Dublin native steamrolled Eddie Alvarez to not only become the new lightweight champion, but to become the promotion's first standing two-division titleholder in their 24-year history.
McGregor has notched one impressive feat after another, and that should have created a scenario where the UFC had a bankable star for years to come.
Wrong.
Rather than turn back into a sport where he was obviously the brightest star, McGregor continued his tradition of big game hunting and decided to pursue a fight outside of the Octagon--this time in a boxing ring against one of the sport's pound-for-pound greats in Floyd Mayweather.
Once the mega fight was inked and became official, speculation as to whether or not the SBG Ireland representative would ever return to the cage arose. And with the payday he's about to receive, there is plenty of cause for concern in that regard.
UFC President Dana White recently told ESPN there is no guarantee for McGregor to return to the UFC in his current contract. The UFC front man added context to the situation by saying he's seen recent examples of hefty paydays leading to the exit door.
"I worked for years with people here, who loved what they did, and they made a bunch of money [in the sale] and left," White said. "There's never any guarantee that when you make that much money you'll ever return."
Nevertheless, despite the potential of McGregor walking away from the sport, White is doubling down on the promotion he has played a crucial role in building. The UFC President knows his organization needs new stars to fill the roles left vacant by past champions and is determined to right the ship.
"When I made money in this deal, a lot of people thought I was going to bounce and be gone," White said. "I've never been busier, never been more engaged."
"Everyone who doubts us, we'll shove it up their a**."
The promotion helped pushed the Irishman like few fighters before him, and in turn, "Notorious" delivered hand over fist on his guarantee to become the biggest draw in the sport and make history in the process.
Last November at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden, the Dublin native steamrolled Eddie Alvarez to not only become the new lightweight champion, but to become the promotion's first standing two-division titleholder in their 24-year history.
McGregor has notched one impressive feat after another, and that should have created a scenario where the UFC had a bankable star for years to come.
Wrong.
Rather than turn back into a sport where he was obviously the brightest star, McGregor continued his tradition of big game hunting and decided to pursue a fight outside of the Octagon--this time in a boxing ring against one of the sport's pound-for-pound greats in Floyd Mayweather.
Once the mega fight was inked and became official, speculation as to whether or not the SBG Ireland representative would ever return to the cage arose. And with the payday he's about to receive, there is plenty of cause for concern in that regard.
UFC President Dana White recently told ESPN there is no guarantee for McGregor to return to the UFC in his current contract. The UFC front man added context to the situation by saying he's seen recent examples of hefty paydays leading to the exit door.
"I worked for years with people here, who loved what they did, and they made a bunch of money [in the sale] and left," White said. "There's never any guarantee that when you make that much money you'll ever return."
Nevertheless, despite the potential of McGregor walking away from the sport, White is doubling down on the promotion he has played a crucial role in building. The UFC President knows his organization needs new stars to fill the roles left vacant by past champions and is determined to right the ship.
"When I made money in this deal, a lot of people thought I was going to bounce and be gone," White said. "I've never been busier, never been more engaged."
"Everyone who doubts us, we'll shove it up their a**."