Irate Dana White Pushes Back on Conor McGregor-Max Holloway UFC Booking vs. MVP Card

Dana White broke his silence following Brand Risk 14 when pressed about the timing of announcing Conor McGregor's UFC comeback.

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

UFC CEO Dana White refused to back down when asked about his decision to reveal Conor McGregor's comeback fight vs. Max Holloway, which is set for UFC 329 Saturday, July 11, from T-Mobile Arena.

Instead of announcing McGregor vs. Holloway 2 at UFC 328 May 9, White and the UFC finalized the fight during UFC Vegas 117 the following weekend. It happened to coincide with Most Valuable Promotions' MMA debut, which aired live on Netflix and featured Ronda Rousey's 17-second armbar against industry pioneer Gina Carano in a women's featherweight main event.

Earlier in the evening, one of White's least favorite ex-UFC champions, Francis Ngannou, took to the hexagon as he dispatched former UFC veteran Philipe Lins by TKO in his long-awaited return to the sport following a brief boxing stint (one that included subsequent defeats from Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua).

As Ngannou made his entrance before his eventual win, the UFC dropped a bombshell announcement: McGregor vs. Holloway 2, exclusively from White's Instagram Live session. The MMA community lost it as the focus shifted from MVP to the UFC in a matter of seconds, with midnight ET becoming a focal point of the night's festivities.

White, who attended Brand Risk 14, headlined by former Heisman Trophy winner-turned NFL draft bust Johnny Manziel's first-round TKO win vs. social media personality. Bob Menery, in an amateur 205-pound MMA fight, responded to those who suggested the UFC had planned to sabotage Ngannou's real-time Netflix momentum.

Dana White Clarifies UFC's Motive To Announce Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2

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In a few words, White was having none of it. Not even for a second, even if the community still suggested he was lying.

"Not a coincidence," White told Fred Talks Fighting. "I had a f****** [UFC] fight here that night. Anybody who thinks that I gave a s*** what was going on anywhere else is out of their f****** minds."

Despite White's passion, it isn't the first time the UFC has counter-programmed a rival promoter. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva moved up to light heavyweight to challenge James Irvin in July 2008 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card.

UFC Has Tried To Outdue Other Marquee MMA Events In Real-Time

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Simultaneously, the UFC's then-rival and now-defunct Affliction MMA had a pay-per-view the same night that featured Fedor Emelianenko's rear-naked choke over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia. With Silva and Emelianenko's victories, MMA fans won either way. There were talking points to be had.

In this instance, even if White fiercely denied it, similar tactics were easy to spot nearly 20 years later.

And that's MMA, in a nutshell, in 2026.