Dana White says the announcement of Conor McGregor’s return during the MVP MMA 1 broadcast had nothing to do with stealing attention from the Netflix event, insisting the deal was simply announced the moment it was finalized.
White addressed the timing directly in an interview with Fred Talks Fighting.
“Not a coincidence. I had a fcking fight here that night. Anybody who thinks that I gave a sht what was going on anywhere else is out of their fcking minds. We announced it as soon as we got it done, and we were in the middle of our event. I don’t give a fck what those guys are doing. You kidding me?”
The announcement came as Francis Ngannou made his walkout to fight Philipe Lins on the Netflix card. Ngannou was asked about the timing after his knockout victory and echoed White’s indifference.
“And what the f*ck do I have to do with that? So, I should stop my walkout and look at what’s going on? I don’t care, bro. Let’s move on. Life goes on. I’m doing my stuff here, I’m doing good. I have no problem. Everybody can do whatever he wants.”
The announcement also coincided with the UFC Fight Night 276 broadcast in Las Vegas that same night.