Dana White and Conor McGregor have been involved in a public spat over McGregor’s sharing of private messages between the two.
As reported over the weekend, a fight between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is in the works. These negotiations are on the heels of Conor McGregor’s latest retirement earlier this year, which came after his vow to fight multiple times in 2020 in what would be his own personal fighting season. Instead, McGregor only fought one time in his spectacular outing against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. This single-digit fighting season went against what McGregor says he lobbied for.
To prove this, McGregor posted private messages between himself and Dana White with McGregor lobbying to fight Diego Sanchez. At the UFC 253 post-fight press conference, Dana White let it be known that he was not a fan of the move nor McGregor’s fight request.
“Listen, I’ve had people blowing me up left and right. Everybody here knows. I mean, 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,” White said.
“When you’re the number 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…”
Conor McGregor got wind of White’s remarks and offered a swift rebuttal in defense of his actions and Diego Sanchez.
“I am still interested in a fight with you somewhere down the line Diego Sanchez. A true warrior and pioneer of this sport. It would be my honour! Some journalists and promoters and their lack of respect for what the fighters put into this game make me sick. Things must change!
“Code was broke when you lied about me turning down fights mate. I said Justin 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,” McGregor said.
Diego Sanchez competed at UFC 253 in a losing effort against fellow UFC veteran Jake Matthews. At the UFC 253 post-fight press conference, White seemed unsure if Diego Sanchez would fight in the UFC again. For the time being, White is engaged in a fight of his own against the biggest superstar the promotion has ever seen.
What’s your take on this very public fallout between Dana White and Conor McGregor?
