Dana White confirmed that Conor McGregor will not be a part of UFC 200 despite Nate Diaz stating he would not fight anyone other than the Irish man on the card.
McGregor was pulled from the event for not fulfilling his media duties and Dana White insisted that while he respects Conor as a fighter and likes him, he didn't feel it was fair to the other fighters who had shown up from all over the world. White stood at the podium with an empty chair to his left hand side that was supposed to have been for McGregor, who is in Iceland training for a bout it looks increasingly unlikely he will be a part of.
"We gave Conor every opportunity in the world to get here too," White said during Friday's press conference but McGregor hit back via twitter by reiterating his stance regarding his importance to the company.
Everyone flew in. Respect.
But not everyone up there made the company 400million in 8 months.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 22, 2016
"We get criticized for bending too much to Conor, and we do. Conor is a guy who has stepped up and fought in big fights on short notice," said White who understands the pressure being put on from all angles to remain fair despite understanding how big a draw McGregor is.
The Dublin native has undoubtedly played a large part in turning the UFC into the global sport that is has become in the last couple of years but Dana White remains committed to the fact that nobody is bigger than the company and everyone is equal when media duties are doled out.
When asked who Diaz would fight, White responded "I don't know, we are going to figure that out."
Diaz was asked who he would like to fight at the event and responded in typically casual manner by saying, "I came to fight Conor McGregor and I don't have too much interest in anybody else."
"I'm down for whatever. I come here to fight." -@NateDiaz209 #UFC200 https://t.co/xtJ3mijswB
— #UFC197 (@ufc) April 22, 2016
Diaz put pressure on White to include McGregor on the bill by saying he would go on vacation if he didn't get the chance to fight McGregor.
White backtracked somewhat when he stated that all the other competitors wanted McGregor to fight, along with himself but again insisted that "it's not right" to not show up for media obligations. Later in the press conference, White said he understands that the media frenzy built up around McGregor's retirement tweet could be capitalized on but again returned to his stance on media obligations and fairness.
There is plenty of ambiguity surrounding the card at UFC 200 and there will be more to this story as it unfolds in the three months leading up to the fight.
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