The Conor McGregor, UFC 200, Dana White saga so far

Sport360 staff 09:00 26/04/2016
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  • Will McGregor fight at UFC 200?

    McGregor was slated to take on Nate Diaz in a rematch of the original fight that saw the latter choke the Irishman into submission before the fall-out that sent tongues wagging the world over.

    A bitter row ensued between McGregor and the UFC, combining a retirement from the fighter and president Dana White saying that he had been pulled from UFC 200 after refusing to adhere to promotional responsibilities.

    It’s all been very dramatic, as you can see here…

    MCGREGOR RETIRES

    One single tweet from the 27-year-old created mass hysteria and threw into doubt his future as an MMA fighter.

    While at a training camp in Iceland, he thanked fans “for the cheese” and said it was over-and-out for the featherweight champion.

    FIGHTERS LOSE THEIR MINDS, DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE

    A mixture of shock, outrage and genuine disbelief ensued after the 160,000 or so retweets, causing the mixed martial arts world to share their thoughts on McGregor’s announcement.

    Largely, the responses called it a load of hot air as they too took to Twitter to have their say on matters.

    His intended opponent Diaz was one of the most prominent voices in reply.

    THE WHITE RESPONSE

    In the UFC there is essentially one man that calls the shots and that man is White.

    He was obviously furious with McGregor’s comments and made his feelings very clear on the matter.

    Essentially, White said McGregor had been pulled, he has commitments to keep and regardless of McGregor’s future the show goes on.

    MCGREGOR’S U-TURN

    Just two days passed in between McGregor’s retirement and the announcement that he was in fact not hanging up his gloves.

    Still in Iceland for that training camp, McGregor released a statement in full, gory detail about his future in the UFC and the money he has made them ($400m in eight months according to him).

    He outlined how promotional work was hindering his performance in the octagon and that he needed a break.

    THE ELEPHANT NOT IN THE ROOM

    And so came the day for the UFC 200 press conference and in among all the fighters slated to be on that card was one gaping empty seat.

    That of McGregor’s remained vacant and White faced fans and media desperate for more on McGregor and his retirement.

    It all led to Diaz stating that if McGregor wasn’t involved, he’d take a holiday.

    McGregor was also tweeting that day…

    THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS?

    Just days following that press conference passed with some semblance of quiet before BOOM, McGregor unleashed a bombshell.

    Once again taking to his Twitter account, he went on to say that he was in fact fighting on UFC 200 and offered his thanks to White for making it happen…

    WHITE SHUTS DOWN UFC 200 TWEET

    In reply to McGregor’s tweet claiming to be back in for UFC 200, White spoke to the Los Angeles Times and then TMZ to reiterate that McGregor was in fact OUT.

    It’s been a dizzying few days of toing and froing but it looks like White is adamant that McGregor will not be at the company’s night of celebration.

    For all the talk of not doing promotion, McGregor has actually served to give the whole event more publicity than ever.

    Ah, the irony…

    Clear as mud, right?

    Anyway, what are your thoughts on the whole incident and do you think McGregor will fight at UFC 200?

    **This article first appeared on April 25 and was updated April 26 with the latest developments**

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