- Dana White named Sean Strickland as the other half of the next middleweight title fight
- The UFC boss said Conor McGregor will not fight this year
- The 55-year-old reaffirmed that Muhammad Mokaev is not going back to UFC
UFC president Dana White gave an update on Sean Strickland, Conor McGregor’s return and Muhammad Mokaev’s UFC departure.
Sean deserves another shot
Speaking to the media following a Dana White’s Contender Series event, the UFC boss pointed out that despite his lackluster performance against Paulo Costa at UFC 302, “Tarzan” has earned the right to face the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya title fight at UFC 305.
However, White also hinted at the possibility that things could take a huge turn as they go along, considering top middleweight contenders Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev are set to take on each other.
“What I was saying is he’s ranked number one in the world he deserves the fight, if that happens but you never know what can happen, how these fights could play out… [But] Strickland deserves it,” White said.
No Conor this year
As for McGregor, White confirmed that he already had a conversation with the former UFC two-division champ. The UFC president clarified that regardless of what fans think, “Notorious” has reiterated that he is eager to make his return. However, White said it’s not gonna happen this year.
“We talked. We talked,” White said of McGregor. “We didn’t meet up but we talked, and yeah, he wants to fight. So, we’ll figure it out. [But] not this year. He won’t fight this year.”
Unsurprisingly, McGregor refuted White’s statement and insisted that “December is the date.”
“Ah Dana, December is the date! Bring the calendar year home with a winning event! Come on now, what’s this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. DECEMBER! Tell Dana and UFC WE WANT DECEMBER! WE DESERVE DECEMBER!,” McGregor wrote on X.
Conor McGregor reacts to Dana White saying he won't fight this year:
"Come on now, what's this? I am off to altitude next month to prepare. DECEMBER! Tell Dana and UFC WE WANT DECEMBER! WE DESERVE DECEMBER!"
(via. @TheNotoriousMMA) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/31v2ub3FJ8
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 14, 2024
Mokaev is done
White was also asked to address the issue with Mokaev, the undefeated flyweight who got cut despite securing a win in his last fight at UFC 305. As per the UFC boss, there’s really nothing he could do about the situation as “The Punisher” has extremely damaged his working relationship with other UFC high-ups which ultimately led to his exit.
“It is what it is. I always say this, this is an opportunity to be here and to perform in front of the entire world. He’s just a guy that did everything wrong and pissed these guys off,” White said of Mokaev. “I wasn’t involved in any of the stuff that happened with him, but you know, the matchmakers and Hunter were, and they weren’t happy with him.”
“They weren’t happy with the way he acted. They weren’t happy with a lot of things he did and said. I guess you can look back now and regret it, but you did it,” he continued. “You put yourself in this position.”
White’s updates shed light on what people could expect from the middleweight division, as well as McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return. However, it would be no surprise if sudden changes take place in the succeeding months.
Watch White’s full presser below:
