Dana White Recalls History-Making Phone Call To UFC Executive About Conor McGregor

UFC CEO Dana White pulled back the curtain about what led to Conor McGregor's UFC signing.

Jul 9, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor is greeted by UFC president Dana White during weigh ins for UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Long before Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing in Aug. 2017, starred in the Road House remake (2024), or appeared on Forbes Magazine as one of the richest athletes in sports, he was a rising prospect out of Ireland who caught the attention of UFC CEO Dana White in the early-2010s.

After bulldozing through the competition in Cage Warriors, which included becoming a double champion before jumping ship to the UFC, McGregor had to impress White after local fans encouraged him to sign the soon-to-be Irish superstar as his five-fight Cage Warriors stint came to a close.

Before putting ink to paper, White recalled meeting McGregor for the first time and was immediately awestruck. As the story goes, White mistook McGregor as being in a completely different division, rather than the featherweight division.

In an interview on Tomi Lahren is Fearless, White said he made a phone call to then-CEO Lorenzo Fertitta that would change the course of UFC history forever.

"I left the dinner and called Lorenzo Fertitta and said, 'I don't know if this guy can fight, but if he can even throw a punch, this guy is gonna be the biggest star ever,'" White recalled.

Conor McGregor Made UFC History

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Within two years of his UFC debut, McGregor's global popularity exploded. By July 2015, McGregor headlined against Chad Mendes at UFC 189 to become the Interim UFC Featherweight Champion. He would then capture undisputed gold against Jose Aldo five months later at UFC 194 before bigger opportunities came his direction.

In Nov. 2016 at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York, McGregor made promotional history by becoming a two-division UFC champion (featherweight and lightweight), elevating his status as arguably the biggest global star in MMA history.

Five years have come and gone since McGregor's last fight, having lost back-to-back outings to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 (Jan. 2021) and UFC 264 (July 2021), respectively

When Is Conor McGregor's UFC Comeback Fight?

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In a little over two weeks, McGregor will run it back against Max Holloway in a five-round non-title headlining attraction at UFC 329 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, which will renew a near 13-year-old rivalry between the two future UFC Hall of Famers.

It's a potentially full-circle moment for McGregor, as July 11 is the same date on which McGregor won his first UFC title 11 years ago. Transitioning to the present, he'll return to the Octagon once more. Except this time, there is no belt on the line. Instead, it's validation, perseverance, and stardom wrapped in one.

We'll see if McGregor can pull it off, although oddsmakers suggest otherwise.