Dana White Addresses Backlash Following Conor McGregor Fight Announcement

Dana White sent shockwaves through the MMA world over the last few weeks when he officially announced the return of Conor McGregor following a five-year absence from the UFC.

However, the timing of the announcement immediately drew attention, as it came during Jake Paul's MVP event while former UFC champion Francis Ngannou was making his walkout, shifting much of the spotlight back toward White and the UFC.

Paul clearly took issue with the decision, although it's important to note the announcement also occurred during a UFC Fight Night event.

"That just shows how pressed they are," Paul said last week. "Little insecure boys trying to piggyback off our event."

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White responded to the criticism during an Adin Ross boxing and MMA event in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

"Not a coincidence, I had a [expletive] fight here that night," White said. "Anybody who thinks that I gave a [expletive] what was going on anywhere else is out of their [expletive] minds… We announced it as soon as we got it done and we were in the middle of our event."

McGregor is set to return to the Octagon on July 11 during International Fight Week at UFC 329 in a highly anticipated matchup against Max Holloway.

The fight will take place in Las Vegas and serves as a rematch of their previous meeting roughly 13 years ago.

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 7:01 PM.