For those wondering what harm would befall Conor McGregor’s career following yesterday’s release of April footage that showed him punching a pub patron in the face, Dana White has revealed the answer: probably nothing.
Appearing on the Jim Rome show, White revealed that he’d known about the incident in question since April (which was when the first reports first came out) and that he’d since seen the security camera footage. However, when Rome asked if White could ever see “a scenario where it’s just not worth the hassle and you’d have to move on from [McGregor],” White gave a pretty soft reply.
“When you deal with fighters, guys who fight for a living, there’s always something.” If you look at some of the greatest — [Mike] Tyson — if you look what Tyson went through in his peak, every time you take a guy who is a professional fighter and you sprinkle a ton of money on top of it, get ready. Get ready for a disaster.”
Like many of us, White seems to have become largely numb to McGregor’s scandals, which have included the fighter infamously throwing a dolly through a bus window. His commentary on the situation sounds reflective of a mother who has just accepted that her child is going to misbehave — a “fighters will be fighters” mentality. While there’s no doubt that White sees McGregor as a consistent money-maker for the UFC, the message that his passivity sends to McGregor and the other fighters in the organization could prove to be a dangerous one.
Watch the interview below:
