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MMA Rumors: UFC President Dana White Parting Ways With Conor McGregor After Bellator & Dublin Incident?

By JB Baruelo
Published on: 13:22 PST, Nov 28, 2017

More than one year has passed since UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor had an MMA fight, and most fans are excited to see him return to the Octagon. After losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match, “The Notorious” is expected to defend his title before the year ends.

Several MMA fighters have been rumored to be McGregor’s next opponent. These include Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Tony Ferguson. Of all the three, Ferguson makes the most sense since he’s currently the interim UFC lightweight champion. McGregor should prioritize a title unification bout against Ferguson if he doesn’t want to lose another belt.

UFC president Dana White revealed that they were supposed to schedule a fight involving Conor McGregor at UFC 219. However, the idea was scrapped after McGregor was involved in an incident at a Bellator event where he reportedly pushed referee Marc Goddard and slapped a member of the athletic commission in the cage, per Uproxx. The UFC said they won’t tolerate such action and as a punishment, they pulled McGregor from UFC 219.

Recently, Conor McGregor once again became part of the headlines after punching a man, who allegedly had ties with the leader of a drug cartel in Ireland, on Sunday night in a Dublin pub. According to Irish Independent, the incident started after the sports star attempted to assault a young man in the pub. The close associate of convicted drug dealer Graham “The Wig” Whelan was punched twice after he intervened.

After the news spread, reports started to circulate that Conor McGregor will never fight again in the Octagon. Some people believe that the two previous incidents made the UFC decide to part ways with the MMA superstar. UFC president Dana White broke his silence about the Dublin incident and discussed McGregor’s potential retirement.

“No, [I don’t know anything about it], but I don’t think it’s true,” White said, via Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.

“Conor can walk down the street and it’s big news now. If this is true, I just have to believe it would be off-the-charts crazy.”

White said that the previous incidents won’t affect McGregor’s stint in the UFC. If Conor McGregor decides to retire, it’s because he already made enough money to spend for the rest of his life. “The Notorious” had a huge payday after his superfight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. After the fight, McGregor revealed his plan to return to UFC and make his first title defense.

As of now, the UFC is negotiating with McGregor’s camp regarding a new deal. After acquiring his second belt, Conor McGregor demanded an equity in the company in his next contract. White believes McGregor deserves to be richly paid but giving him a share in the company would be a big question.

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