Dana White says the UFC did not reveal Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2 to steal attention from Francis Ngannou’s MVP MMA walkout.
White announced the UFC 329 lineup earlier this month, including McGregor’s return against Holloway on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The reveal landed while Ngannou was walking to the cage to fight Philipe Lins at MVP’s Rousey vs. Carano event. Jake Paul later accused White of trying to pull attention away from the Netflix-backed card.
White rejected that idea after Brand Risk 14 at Meta APEX.
“Not a coincidence, I had a f*cking fight here that night,” White told Fred Talks Fighting. “Anybody who thinks that I gave a shit what was going on anywhere else is out of their f*cking minds.”
Watch the full interview below:
McGregor vs. Holloway 2 had been moving toward reality before the official reveal. Holloway previously said the rematch had been secret for months, and called McGregor a dangerous opponent despite the long layoff. McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
White Says UFC Announced McGregor vs. Holloway When It Was Finished
White said the UFC announced the fight when the deal was complete, not because MVP was running its own show.
“We announced it as soon as we got it done and we were in the middle of our event,” White said. “I don’t give a f*ck what those guys are doing. Are you kidding me?”
McGregor is the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion, but he is returning after nearly five years away. Holloway is a former UFC featherweight champion who stayed active, moved deeper into the lightweight picture, and already shared the cage with McGregor back in 2013. McGregor won that first meeting by decision before both men became champions.
Ngannou’s role comes from the clock. The former UFC heavyweight champion left the promotion after failing to reach a new deal, boxed outside the UFC, and later returned to MMA away from White’s company. His MVP walkout overlapping with the UFC 329 reveal gave critics their opening.
White’s version is direct. The UFC had its own event, the McGregor-Holloway rematch was finalized, and MVP was not part of the decision. McGregor has already said he is better than ever before UFC 329, with the July 11 return now attached to one of the UFC’s biggest available fights.
