UFC president Dana White isn’t exactly eager to book Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal.
It appears there’s mutual interest from both McGregor and Masvidal to share the Octagon. McGregor has said that he doesn’t intend to wait for the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson. That bout takes place on April 18 and it’ll headline UFC 249 in Brooklyn, NY.
White Wants Khabib Fight For McGregor, Not Masvidal
During the UFC 246 post-fight press conference, White expressed his belief that McGregor vs. Masvidal shouldn’t come before the “Notorious” one attempts to reclaim the lightweight gold (h/t MMAFighting.com).
“If Conor and Masvidal fight, neither one of them even has a title, although Conor does want his “BMF” title, but he doesn’t have a world championship,” White said. “Khabib’s the fight to make. It’s huge for Khabib’s legacy, too. If he beat Conor McGregor, and then he beats Tony Ferguson, and then he beats Conor McGregor again, this is how this kid when he retires, he’s 30-something and 0 and he’s beat all the best.
“I’m telling you right now Khabib versus Conor is the biggest fight in the company and the sport’s history, but I think it might rival Conor and Floyd [Mayweather].”
McGregor emerged victorious this past Saturday night (Jan. 18) in his first bout in over a year. He defeated Donald Cerrone via TKO in 40 seconds to close out UFC 246. Masvidal has been riding a three-fight winning streak with finishes over Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, and Darren Till.
