UFC president Dana White is known to be impatient. Could that become the reason his prized attraction, lightweight champion Conor McGregor, doesn't square off against all-time boxing great Floyd Mayweather?
Unable thus far to agree to a deal with McGregor and his team for a potential Mayweather bout, White has given them a firm deadline to sign. He also says that if the deadline isn't met, he'll step away from talks and the fight won't happen.
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“I plan on having this thing locked up by this Sunday and then moving on to Team Mayweather and start to negotiate with them,” White told Jim Rome on CBS Sports Radio's “The Jim Rome Show" on Thursday. “If we really do get it done in that timeframe, then this thing could possibly happen. Again, I still have to go negotiate with them. There’s no guarantee that we’re going to come to a deal.”
Negotiations have been heating up since McGregor knocked out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two world titles at the same time, but the process was expected to be long and drawn-out given the magnitude of the fight and the egos involved. After the boxing fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin was made last weekend and scheduled for Sept. 16, the proposed date for a Mayweather-McGregor fight, White realized he needed to speed up the pace.
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He sounded confident that he and Team McGregor can get something done by Sunday.
“I think (the chances of a deal with McGregor) are pretty good,” White told Rome. “Hopefully Monday I’m going to sit down and negotiate with Team Mayweather. I just can’t keep messing with this thing. I have to run my business and I have to focus on all the other things that are going on around here.”
Will White really pull the plug, or this is just a power play to get McGregor on board at possibly a lower price? If you believe White, we will found out in a few days. Let the games begin.
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and Boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, "The Fight Club Chicago," and subscribe on iTunes. You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
