Dana White Denies Timing of McGregor's Fight Announcement Was Meant to Overshadow Ngannou
When Dana White announced Conor McGregor'sUFCcomeback fight against Max Holloway on his Instagram live, many believed he purposefully did so at the same time as Francis Ngannou's walkout during the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano MVP MMA Netflix card. White, however, recently denied that his announcement was meant to overshadow Ngannou's walkout.
In an interview with combat sports interviewer Fred Beck at streamer Adin Ross's Brand Risk event, White made it clear that he was not even aware of what was happening outside of his own promotion:
"I had a f-ing fight here that night," White said, referencing UFC Vegas 117 at the Meta APEX, which was occurring the same time as the MVP Netflix event. "Anybody who thinks that I gave a sh- what was going on anywhere else is out of their f-ing minds."
Dana vs. Francis
The conflict between Dana White and Francis Ngannou is well-documented, with Ngannou leaving the UFC in the middle of his heavyweight title reign due to his belief that the promotion's business practices and contracts are unfair.
Ngannou went on to fight lucrative boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, despite losing a close decision to the former and getting brutally knocked out by the latter.
White, on the other hand, has gone on record claiming Francis Ngannou tried to physically assault him and has completely shut the door on any possibility of Ngannou returning to the UFC.
McGregor's Return
Dana will, however, welcome Conor McGregor back to the UFC with open arms despite the Irish fighter constantly being in the headlines for civil rape cases and nightclub fights.
He will be facing the dangerous and active Max Holloway on July 11, exactly five years since his last fight.
"We announced it as soon as we got it done, and we were in the middle of our event," White added.
McGregor's return bout, which will be his first fight since his leg broke during a fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021, is set to headline UFC 329 during International Fight Week.
Dissing Jake Paul's MVP MMA
White is never one to shy away from talking ill of his contemporaries. As the face of the newly formed Zuffa Boxing promotion, he has even gone on to challenge fellow boxing promoter Eddie Hearn to a fight.
He concluded his rant about Jake Paul's MMA promotion, stating, "[I don't] give a f- what those guys are doing. Are you kidding me?"
Like his feud with Ngannou, White has also been dismissive of Jake Paul as an athlete and as a promoter.
White's attitude towards Jake Paul and his MMA promotion is likely a response to Paul's claim that Ronda Rousey made more money than Ilia Topuria, a claim that might not be too far from the truth, given the recent revelation that former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was only paid a fraction of Rousey's in-cage salary.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 2:59 AM.