It’s not often one promotion’s star will enter the fighting surface of another promotion, title in hand, and square off with another promotion’s poster boy.
Even though that’s what [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] did with [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] at Saturday’s BKFC 41, UFC president Dana White said the unusual decision by his fighter did not bother him.
“I think Conor went out and was having fun and got caught up in the moment,” White recently told Barstool Sports. “The dude called him into the ring. You know, he did it. I also saw him pounding a bottle of Proper (No.) Twelve. I’m sure that had something to do with it, too.
“Listen, man. At the end of the day, Conor has done a lot here. He’s made a lot of money. The guy is out having fun and it’s all good. … Not at all (was I bothered). Not even a little bit.”
McGregor, 34, was front row for the bareknuckle action but does not have a fight date set yet for his upcoming matchup against Michael Chandler. After a July 2021 leg break in a fight vs. Dustin Poirier, McGregor removed himself from the USADA testing pool and has yet to return.
White isn’t quite sure when arguably the most anticipated fight on the promotion’s docket will happen.
“Obviously the show has got to air,” White said. “We’re going to find out. I actually saw a picture of Conor today where he actually looked leaner, like he’s starting to cut the weight down. We’ll see. This guy is going through a ton of sh*t with his body after breaking his shin bone. Believe me, as soon as we can get it done, we’ll get it done.”