Dana White says the timing of the blockbuster announcement for Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2 had nothing to do with trying to steal attention from anyone else in combat sports.
The UFC boss addressed criticism after revealing the UFC 329 lineup during Most Valuable Promotions’ recent “Rousey vs. Carano” event. The announcement also came exactly at the same time former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was set against Philipe Lins.
McGregor and Holloway are now set to headline International Fight Week on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, marking McGregor’s long-awaited return after five years away from competition.
White says timing had nothing to do with MVP
After Saturday’s Brand Risk 14 card at the Meta APEX, White pushed back hard against the idea that the announcement was strategically timed to counter MVP’s record-breaking event or Ngannou’s appearance. He told Fred Talks Fighting:
“Not a coincidence, I had a f*cking fight here that night,”
Meanwhile, he made it clear that he doesn’t care what his competitors are doing.
“Anybody who thinks that I gave a shit what was going on anywhere else is out of their f*cking minds.”
The announcement quickly dominated MMA headlines, although rumors surrounding the rematch had already circulated for months.
McGregor vs. Holloway 2 was already in the works
The rematch between McGregor and Holloway became one of the worst-kept secrets in MMA long before the official reveal. Holloway himself recently admitted he had been keeping the matchup quiet for nearly half a year.
According to White, the timing simply came down to when both sides finalized the deal.
“We announced it as soon as we got it done and we were in the middle of our event,”
The fight will serve as McGregor’s first appearance since his 2021 trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier, while Holloway enters the matchup coming off another high-profile run near the top of the UFC rankings.