UFC president Dana White just gave one of his most bizarre interviews ever. You need to read it to believe it, but he basically just denied the fact Conor McGregor has never defended a UFC title…
During a year of inactivity in MMA, tension has again mounted around Conor McGregor. Truly unique in this circumstance, ‘The Notorious’ has both made history in the UFC and held up two weight divisions to near-breaking point.
After winning the featherweight strap from Jose Aldo in late-2105, McGregor went off the beaten path. Obviously, the UFC was all too happy to allow McGregor to get an immediate title shot at lightweight, but it didn’t quite pan out.
When Rafael dos Anjos got injured, the Irishman instead faced Nate Diaz in a duo of welterweight affairs. Then, while still holding the 145-pound belt, McGregor was again granted an immediate 155-pound title fight.
The plated gifts from the UFC would not end there.
Lightweight Belt & Mayweather ‘Fight’
After squashing Eddie Alvarez like a playground bully, McGregor’s money train headed over to the boxing ring. When Mayweather was done clowning the Irishman in his boxing debut, fans expected the drama surrounding McGregor to die down, at least slightly.
Little did they know, McGregor was soon to be linked to beating up an Irish gangster, and referee Marc Goddard during a Bellator event. All this, and his next UFC fight or first title defense isn’t even set yet.
Hold on, according to Dana White, part of that last sentence is wrong. As the baldfather tells ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, McGregor actually has defended his UFC belt…WTF?!?
Check out the full interview below…
“For people to suggest that, you’re just a Conor hater,” White told ESPN. “Because if you look at how everything played out, Conor has fought everybody. When he won the 155-pound belt, he dropped the 145-pound belt, which we made him do. He tried not to do it, but he contractually had to let go of the 145-pound belt.
“He became the 155-pound champion, and his next fight was against Floyd Mayweather. He has to defend the title now. So, how has he never defended the title?”
Continue reading below…
“There’s some f—ing exaggeration in saying the guy’s never defended a title,” White said. “He fought everybody on his way up 145 pounds. He fought [Chad] Mendes, [Dustin] Poirier. He beat Max Holloway, the only guy to beat Max Holloway in four years.
“It wasn’t Conor’s fault [dos Anjos] got hurt. It is Conor’s fault he did Mayweather, but we decided to do the Mayweather fight and everybody gave a f—. And after the fight, every fighter in the UFC gave him props for representing the sport.”
