Talk about a change of heart.
The much-talked about and hyped boxing bout between Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion Conor McGregor and boxing king Floyd Mayweather has been pretty much nixed. That’s if Dana White has any say in the matter — which he does — as he declared during the post-fight press conference (video replay here) that the chances of boxing match actually seeing the light of day are slim too none.
"Here’s what I think he chances are: About the same of me being the backup quarterback for Brady on Sunday," said White.
Of course, Tom Brady’s New England Patriots -- which is White’s favorite team -- will battle it out against Matt Ryan’s Atlanta Falcons on Sunday February 5, 2017 at Super Bowl 51 in Houston, Texas in what should be an excellent matchup.
So why did White suddenly put ice on the the fight? To hear him tell it, he was never fully behind it, despite his $25 million offer, saying that the only reason he made that offer was to trump Floyd’s fake $15 million one.
"Yeah, because he was full of shit and he said he had made an offer, which wasn’t true." So, I made a real offer, that was the real offer," explained Dana. "So, I will be suiting up on Sunday."
Of course, a few seconds prior, White was made aware of the big "F" bomb "Notorious" dropped on the promotion, which didn’t sit too well with the head honcho, as he warned Conor of going down that road, saying that it will be an "epic fall" for him if he chooses to do so, which may have played a big part in White's sudden defiance.
That said, despite Conor getting his way and getting away with most of what he says in the past, it would behoove him to tread lightly when it comes to insulting the company that made him millions. That’s because — whether he chooses to believe it or not — a fight against Mayweather does not happen unless White and Co. give their blessing -- just ask this guy — since he is under contract with the promotion.
And as we’ve seen in the past, UFC isn’t opposed to holding a fighter’s career hostage until they see fit. Just ask Wanderlei Silva.
Has McGregor gotten a bit too big for his britches and perhaps bitten off more than can chew by insulting White and the promotion that helped make him the biggest star in combat sports?