UFC President Dana White has been dealing with fighters attacking him over revenue sharing and fighters walking out of the company. In addition to this, he is focused on booking fights for Fight Island and is tired of the media headlines, especially those regarding Conor McGregor. He destroyed them at the UFC Fight Night media interaction as he, once and for all, explained the situation with the Irish fighter at UFC 249.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

“When Did I F**kin Rip Conor?”- Dana White Destroys Media Headlines

Dana White clears the air on Conor McGregor 

White clarified his comments on the Khabib Tony UFC 249 main event. He said, If this could be a Tony fight if somebody falls out Conor is going to be the replacement. Who doesn’t remember that? Right? That was the deal. I talk to Conor then Conor came back and said I’m not a replacement fighter, I’m not gonna do it. Long before the fight fell out.

ADVERTISEMENT

“But Conor was saying before the fight fell out that it would fall out. One of these 2 would fall out and then I’ll slide in and take the fight.”

White reveals that ‘Notorious’ turned down the fight, way before ‘The Eagle’ pulled out of the event. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“Then when the fight fell out and the coronavirus was going in and everything started to shut down and we were looking for the Casino in California, never did Conor turn down a last-minute fight. He told us way before that he was out of the fight and we never even asked him again.”

White continued, “Exactly, so I was telling you guys Conor McGregor will be the replacement and you guys were like holy s**t. The gate will already be sold, the gate’s $5.5-6 million, Conor would have done maybe f**king…you know. I said yea what you gonna do? It is what it is? But Conor’s gonna do it.

ADVERTISEMENT

“And you know Conor. Conor thought about it and said f**k that. I’m not a replacement fighter. I’m not gonna be looked at as I’m sliding in as a replacement for one of these guys. So he said he’s not gonna do it. And I told you guys Conor is not gonna fight. We never even asked Conor to fight.”

What is your take on Dana White giving fans the exact timeline of events regarding Conor McGregor and UFC 249?

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

Written by

author-image

Reubyn Coutinho

1,040 Articles

Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

Know more