‘We had been in a very unhealthy place’: Dana White says he has mended fences with Conor McGregor after final yr’s fractious fallout

Dana White and his primary money cow, Conor McGregor, have reconciled after what the UFC boss described as a critical falling out between the 2 stemming from McGregor releasing non-public textual content messages between the pair final yr.

White has typically bitten his tongue when discussing the Irishman’s occasional outside-of-the-cage infractions and has famously given him numerous rope in a few of his extra infamous episodes, however the UFC president issued a stark rebuttal of his biggest-ever star’s choice to tweet screen-grabs of a dialog the pair had final yr when haggling over a possible battle reserving.

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Quickly after McGregor’s 40-second win in opposition to Donald Cerrone in January final yr, consideration rapidly turned to McGregor’s subsequent potential opponent as a part of what he had described can be a three-fight ‘season’ in 2020. 

Nonetheless, and earlier than the onset of the coronavirus plunged a dagger into the center of worldwide sport, McGregor said that he wished to battle as quickly as potential, with Justin Gaethje being among the many figures to have the Dubliner’s crosshairs skilled on him.

McGregor would finally sit out the rest of the yr however confronted waves of criticism from followers and fighters alike as a consequence of his perceived inaction as soon as the UFC roadshow was underway in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere – prompting McGregor to launch a collection of personal messages between he and White which detailed McGregor’s repeated requests for a battle.

One fighter famous by McGregor was Diego Sanchez, the longest-tenured athlete on the UFC roster. Even his most ardent supporters would say that Sanchez’s finest days are behind him, whereas White additionally balked on the thought of what he noticed as a simple battle for McGregor.

However greater than that, White says he did not recognize his soiled laundry being aired in public.

“We had been in a very unhealthy place then,” White instructed ESPN of his relationship with McGregor final yr.

“I used to be actually upset. It wasn’t as a result of he put out non-public messages. However we had been speaking about one other fighter and I like Diego Sanchez rather a lot and I’ve numerous respect for Diego Sanchez. I care about Diego Sanchez. So I used to be very upset about that.

“I talked to Diego face-to-face about it. Being the nice human being that he’s, [it’s] all good after which I used to be actually, actually upset with Conor. Conor, I mounted that, we talked and we acquired by way of it and we’re in a superb place now.”

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A part of battle promotion, although, is doing enterprise with individuals you do not essentially like, one thing which comes with the territory in prizefighting extra so than in most different main international sports activities – and whereas White says that his relationship with McGregor by no means devolved into true acrimony, he says that enterprise does come first.

“Me and all people are at all times in a superb place so far as enterprise goes,” he mentioned. “Tito Ortiz fought right here for years. We hated one another. He fought right here for years. Enterprise is at all times good however that doesn’t imply that we’re good.

“We’re in a superb enterprise place and personally, Conor and I are in a superb place proper now.”