Dana White responds to allegations over McGregor announcement: I don’t care what others do

Dana White did not bite his tongue when responding to suggestions about the timing of the announcement of Conor McGregor’s return. The UFC chief strongly denied that the timing of the announcement had anything to do with the MVP MMA 1 gala and Francis Ngannou’s performance.

The return of the “Notorious” has been one of the hottest topics in the MMA world for a long time. Conor McGregor regularly announced new comeback dates, but only now everything has been officially confirmed. The Irishman will return to the octagon on July 11 at the UFC 329 gala crowning International Fight Week. His opponent will be Max Holloway.

The announcement of the fight itself, however, caused a huge stir, and not just because of the sporting stature of the bout. Dana White made the announcement during a live broadcast conducted on the sidelines of the UFC’s Apex gala. The problem was that almost at the same moment the MVP MMA 1 gala was running on Netflix, with Francis Ngannou – a former UFC champion and a Cameroonian who has been in conflict with the organization’s authorities for years – stepping out to the cage.

Many fans were quick to suggest that the UFC deliberately used the timing of the “Predator” performance to provide media cover for a competitive event. Dana White, however, completely disagrees with such a theory.

Dana White responds to allegations of a “play” under Ngannou

In an interview with Fred Talks Fighting, the UFC boss was asked if the timing of the announcement of the McGregor vs Holloway fight was indeed coincidental. White reacted very emotionally and made it clear that he was not interested in what the competition was doing.

– After all, I myself had a f*cking gala at that time. If anyone thinks I’m analyzing their actions and I care, they’ve got us…ane in the head.

The UFC helmsman stressed that the organization announced McGregor’s return as soon as all the details of the duel were finalized.

– We announced the fight as soon as we agreed on it. And it was just during the gala. I don’t give a f*** what other people do. Are you guys kidding me?

Despite White’s firm response, many fans still believe that it is difficult to talk about a complete coincidence here. The news of Conor McGregor’s return momentarily dominated social media and covered up much of the discussion around the MVP MMA 1 gala, during which Francis Ngannou effectively knocked out Philipe Lins.