UFC President Dana White has definitively ruled out Conor McGregor fighting Nate Diaz at UFC 200.
At the launch of UFC 200, White reiterated that McGregor will not fight at the event because of his unwillingness to follow the company’s promotional schedule.
White was twice asked whether or not he was willing to 100% confirm that McGregor would not fight on the Las Vegas card, and when he was asked for a second time whether he would definitively rule out the Irish fighter, he replied: “Yeah. Yes, do you see Conor here?”
All of the fighters on the UFC 200 card were present at the press conference, including Nate Diaz who now has no opponent for the event.
White reiterated that McGregor’s unwillingness to leave his training camp in Iceland for promotional work was unacceptable to him and to the organisation.
“Anybody who’s fought for the UFC over the last 16 years knows that we try to give as much leeway on things but you have show to promote the fight,” he said. “You have to show up to promote the press conferences and shoot the commercials.
“Is it too much to ask to shoot the commercial or do the promotion for the fight?
“A lot of these guys came here from different parts of the world, Brazil and New Jersey. These guys all came, they have better things to do but they’re here. It’s part of the job, it’s part of what we do.
“We gave Conor every opportunity in the world to get here too. We get criticised for bending too much for Conor and we do.
“Conor is a guy who has stepped up and fought in big fights on short notice and I respect Conor very much as a fighter and I like him but you have to show up and do this stuff.
“These people have come from all over the world. I get it, it’s tough when you have to leave everything you have going on but the fight’s three months away.
“The fight’s still three months away, that’s why we do it this early so we don’t interfere with their training and their lives and everything else.”
Everyone flew in. Respect.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 22, 2016
But not everyone up there made the company 400million in 8 months.
McGregor responded with via twitter where he again stated his position that his performances over the last year should buy him some leeway.
The tweet read: "Everyone flew in. Respect. But not everyone up there made the company 400million in 8 months."
While White promised to find an opponent for Diaz, the American fighter does not want to fight anyone but McGregor.
“I came to fight Conor McGregor and I don’t really have too much interest in anybody else," he insisted. "I don’t have any interest in fighting anyone at all but if that’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to do it.”
Diaz was further questioned and added: "I didn't ask for that fight, he [McGregor] asked for it and he wanted it and if that's not going to happen, I'm going on vacation."
White did leave the door open for McGregor with UFC however and insisted that the Dubliner will fight again for the company. The UFC president pointed to McGregor defending his featherweight title against the winner of Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo.
“Conor will fight again......Frankie and Jose are going to fight and Conor is going to fight the winner,” he said.
