Following his tweet Tuesday, UFC announced that McGregor had been pulled from his upcoming rematch against Nate Diaz, who handed him his first-ever UFC loss in March.
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Diaz, speaking after White, said, “I came here to fight Conor”.
Though McGregor was considered the biggest pay-per-view fighter in the UFC, Dana White remained adamant that all fighters must accept the UFC rules regarding promotional appearances.
UFC featherweight champion McGregor was stunned by Diaz at UFC 196 last month stepping up to welterweight, only to be submitted by a heavier, larger opponent, who came into the fight on 11 days’ notice.
“I want him to fight, but it’s not right”, White said. You have to show up to press conferences and shoot the commercials.
“It’s part of the job, it’s what we do here”, White said. “It’s what we do here”.
And on Wednesday the UFC announced that McGregor was being removed from UFC 200.
McGregor had taken the UFC by storm and he captured the featherweight belt with a 13 second knock-out of long-time champion Jose Aldo last December.
In the wake of McGregor’s claim, MMA journalists everywhere have been reaching out to every available source, including the UFC itself, in a search for some clarity, so far it would seem to no avail. I don’t have any interest in fighting at all. They were left even more disappointed when Dana White confirmed that they did not now have a new opponent for Nate Diaz yet.
McGregor said: “I’m doing what I need for me now”.
“I just don’t see how that’s fair”, White said. “It’s all good with me”. “Respect. But not everyone up there made the company 400 million in 8 months”.
Diaz was asked what the latest possible date was that he needed to know whether he would fight McGregor or not. McGregor would not be the star he is today if he were fighting in another promotion – say Bellator or the World Series of Fighting. The fighters… they want Conor to fight on the card too.
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It’s gold like this we’ll miss nearly as much as the fight itself.
