Dana White compared Conor McGregor to Muhammad Ali while explaining why the former two-division UFC champion still carries rare star power before his planned Max Holloway rematch at UFC 329.
In a clip posted to X, White was asked what separates McGregor from other fight stars. He pointed to McGregor’s presence before using Ali as the measuring stick.
“If you are the baddest man or woman in the world, people want to watch you,” White said. “If you have that Conor McGregor, that Muhammad Ali thing, I mean, that’s just a…”
White was then asked directly what McGregor has that separates him.
“He has that ability that when he walks into a room, you know, people just, you know, are fascinated by them, to listen to them,” White said. “They’re funny. They have incredible magnetic personalities.”
Watch the clip below:
Dana White says Conor McGregor is the Muhammad Ali of UFC
“He has that ability that when he walks into a room, people are just fascinated by them, to listen to them, they’re funny, they have incredible magnetic personalities”
“Muhammad Ali was the same guy in the living room… pic.twitter.com/v8KqHzTEUX
— katsu (@katsuxbt) May 26, 2026
White Says McGregor’s Persona Is Not An Act
White said McGregor’s public persona does not look like a switch he flips only when cameras are rolling. He compared that part of McGregor’s appeal to Ali, the former world heavyweight champion whose voice and presence reached far beyond boxing.
“Muhammad Ali was the same guy in the living room with his wife and kids that he was when you saw him on TV, and Conor McGregor’s the same,” White said.
McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes at the same time. He knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 to win the featherweight title, then stopped Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to take the lightweight belt.
Ali remains one of boxing’s most famous heavyweight champions because his voice traveled beyond the ring. White’s comparison is about public pull, not a claim that McGregor’s fight career matches Ali’s boxing career.
McGregor has not competed since the Dustin Poirier trilogy fight at UFC 264 in July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg. His next expected assignment is Holloway, who lost to McGregor by decision in 2013 before building his own championship run at featherweight. McGregor’s team has said the UFC 329 return is not meant to be a one-off.
McGregor is 22-6 in MMA. Ali finished his boxing career at 56-5. Both became names casual fans knew even when they were not watching every fight.
White’s latest McGregor praise comes as the UFC moves through a busy stretch that includes his TIME Magazine spotlight before UFC Freedom 250.
