MMA News: UFC CEO Dana White Calls Conor McGregor’s Career Impact ‘Powerful’
Despite saying he would never go on a podcast again, UFC CEO Dana White was, once again, back on a podcast.
White appeared on Julian Edelman’s show, “Games With Names,” which looks at historical moments in sports history. The ex-New England Patriots wideout has befriended White in the past, which gave the UFC’s most powerful figure a reason to attend.
The pair looked back on UFC 229, which saw Khabib Nurmagomedov spoil Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC in the fall of 2018.
White recalled the build-up to the fight, calling it one of the “biggest fights ever” and spoke on the impact McGregor has had on the promotion.
White listed names such as Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, and Ronda Rousey who helped build the sport in different ways, but said no one has ever done it like McGregor.
“So, you had all these different characters with different personalities from different places who helped take the sport to another level,” White said. “Then comes Conor McGregor. And one of the things that I always talk about with Conor McGregor is that everybody thinks they’re Irish. When you go all of the world, you think about St. Paddy's Day, and, you know, the Irish bars and everybody thinks they’re Irish. The Irish thing is really powerful.”
McGregor and Nurmagomedov captivated the world in front of a sold-out T-Mobile Arena, as the fight drew 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, a UFC record. Despite McGregor’s neck-crank loss, the world stopped to see it.
McGregor has won one fight since capturing double-champion status in 2016. It is unknown as to whether he will return to the sport amid a three-year hiatus.
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