As UFC 257 approaches, promotion president Dana White says he’s currently in “a good place” with headliner Conor McGregor.
In September, McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who takes on Dustin Poirier in the main event of the upcoming UFC 257 pay-per-view, released a series of private direct messages he exchanged with his boss.
The message release came in the midst of McGregor’s negotiations with the UFC for his next fight, but what bothered White most was that another fighter, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 middleweight winner Diego Sanchez, was mentioned.
McGregor asked to fight Sanchez, to which White replied, “Bro… We should lose our (promoter’s) license if we make that fight.”
“We were in a really bad place then,” White told UFC broadcast partner ESPN in a recent interview. “I was really upset. It wasn’t because he put out private messages. It was (because) we were talking about another fighter. I like Diego Sanchez a lot and I have a lot of respect for Diego Sanchez. I care about Diego Sanchez. I was very upset about that. I talked to Diego face-to-face about it. Being the great human being that he is, we’re all good. Then I was really, really upset with Conor.”
At no point was there a damper placed on his business relationship with McGregor, according to White. Since their message spat, White indicated their personal relationship has been rebuilt.
“Conor and I fixed that and we talked and we got through it,” White said. “We’re in a good place now. … Me and everybody are always in a good place as far as business goes.”
UFC 257 is less than two weeks away and White is excited about what he’s seen and heard from McGregor. The UFC president thinks McGregor is as motivated as ever entering his rematch against Poirier. The current mindset McGregor is in is exactly what White likes.
“There’s nothing more exciting or more fun than a motivated Conor McGregor when his head is in the right place,” White said. “You can tell when he is, and you can tell when he isn’t. Right now, you can tell he’s in. … If something happens to Dustin Poirier, he is the Conor McGregor right now that does not give a (expletive) who we put in that fight on that night. He’s that guy right now.”
UFC 257 takes place Jan. 23 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
Dana White no longer in ‘a really bad place’ with Conor McGregor, praises UFC 257 mindset
