UFC 300 could have afforded a few “sacrifices” had it been topped by Conor McGregor.
After all, “Notorious” is the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) draw to ever step foot inside the Octagon and one of the richest fighters in the history of combat sports, which appears to be a double-edged sword these days. McGregor returns big numbers at the box office, but it also requires big numbers to get him signed.
It’s complicated.
“Conor McGregor doesn’t need money,” UFC CEO Dana White said at the UFC 298 post-fight press conference (watch it here). “I don’t know [if he fights again]. Conor McGregor has a lot of money. Any time we get Conor, we’ll be thrilled when he comes and fights. Money complicates a lot of things. He just filmed a movie. He’s gotta do the press for the movie and he’s got obligations with that. He does wanna fight this year but we’ll see what happens.”
In addition to his Road House movie commitments, White also claimed McGregor’s injury was still a favor in the delayed comeback. I don’t want to speak for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 coach Michael Chandler, but I can’t imagine this latest update on his “Notorious” opponent leaves him feeling optimistic, especially considering how much flak “Iron” has taken for riding the pine.
To be fair, those red panties won’t wear themselves.
“Conor McGregor has probably been one of the best business partners we’ve ever had,” White continued. “Getting Conor to show up to sh*t on time is a problem, but Conor — as a far as the business goes — Conor is a very good businessman, always been a great partner to us. There’s never any hanging out or haggling for money. Conor McGregor has never done anything remotely close to that — it’s the exact opposite. When it’s time to dig in and get to work and make money, he’s probably the most incredible partner we’ve ever had.”
McGregor has an outside chance of returning in the fall … or not at all.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
