White has been conspicuously quiet regarding talks between the pair, who have both stated they believe a cross-codes bout is on the cards, although the MMA chief has now admitted it’s full steam ahead once McGregor’s partner gives birth imminently.
“Conor is having a baby any day now,” White said at a UFC / BT Sport press conference recently.
“And after Conor has his baby, Conor and I are gonna meet in New York and then we’ll go from there. We’re not close (yet).
“I think there’s a better chance of it happening than me quarterbacking. I see this fight happening. Conor wants it and Floyd wants it. I’ve said many times, Conor has done a lot. He’s stepped up for the big fights for this company and for me and for Lorenzo [Fertitta], and I can’t deny him this fight.”
In direct response to several views on the contest, particularly Jeff Mayweather’s announcement that the UFC want an 80-20 split of McGregor’s purse, White added: “I would like to clarify all the bulls**t about the 80 f**king 20 split. Jeff Mayweather. Come on, Jeff. Me and Jeff go way back. Jeff, are you the spokesman now for f**king Team Mayweather?
“And Bob Arum? You piece of s**t. F**k you too. What do they know about this fight? You want to know what they know about this fight? Nothing. Believe me, we’ve had preliminary talks with Conor and I’m in a good place with Conor and we’re going to meet in New York when he has his baby.”
"I can't deny @TheNotoriousMMA the @FloydMayweather fight…I see it happening!"@danawhite with the latest update. https://t.co/DCxsBLI75X
— #UFC210 (@btsportufc) April 10, 2017
Asked if contact had been made between the UFC and Mayweather, he stated: “I’ve been talking (to them) or a while now,” White said.
“The longer it takes for us to come to an agreement, I think the longer it’s going to take to negotiate with the Mayweather team. Because I know all the talk of ‘A’ side, ‘B’ side and all this stuff.
“Listen, of course everything I say is going to come off biased because he’s my guy, but you guys judge. Is Conor McGregor not a massive star?
“This fight here, Floyd doesn’t make this kind of money either without Conor, so Conor is just as important as Floyd when it comes to this fight. Not to mention the fact that, Conor is actually stepping in and boxing him and not saying, ‘hey, let’s fight in mixed martial arts.’”
