Dana White discusses Jon Jones and Conor McGregor

The biggest star in the UFC, Conor McGregor, and the #1 P4P, Jon Jones, are not fighting. Jones is out over compensation issues, and McGregor is out over a lack of high-profile fight opportunities.

UFC president Dana White has said he doesn’t like to talk about fighters who are not fighting, but during a recent interview with Barstool Sports, he did.

Jones has been stripped of his title three times, and White was asked if it would happen again?

Not as of yet, no, replied White. You know as much as I know. The last time he said he’s not fighting, he’s not fighting. We are feeling this thing out and when it’s time for him to fight, we will see.

In March of 2016, McGregor retired in a dispute over traveling to a news conference for the Nate Diaz rematch; he returned and won. In April of 2019, “The Notorious” retired again, but returned in January, beating “Cowboy” Cerrone in 40 seconds, and announced he wanted two more fights in 2020. Then the novel coronavirus derailed that plan. And during the UFC 250 broadcast, McGregor retired again.

These guys keep asking me about Conor McGregor, who is retired, said White. You guys keep asking me about him and he’s retired. Conor plays you guys like fiddles. You guys are like puppets on a string. He’s retired. He sends one Tweet that says, ‘I accept,’ and it’s right after Khamzat calls him out and two other guys. I’m not focused on anything with anybody who’s not fighting. Conor McGregor is retired. Do we all believe he’ll stay retired? I think most of us don’t believe that he’ll remain retired.

Let me put it to you this way, I owe fighters that are under contract with me three fights a year. If I don’t deliver those three fights a year, I have to pay them. Conor McGregor is retired, whether people want to believe it or not. He is not fighting right now, so when he’s not fighting, I don’t even think about him or what he’s doing or any of that stuff on a business level. I’ll still shoot him a text personally, but on a business level, he’s out of the mix. He’s not fighting at all. So everybody keeps asking me questions about him and I’m like, ‘Manny Pacquiao? What the f*** are you talking about?’

He is retired. Conor McGregor is not fighting, he is retired. I have no plan. I’m in the war room right now and we have fights laid out to November 7 and Conor McGregor is not on any of them. This year, he is retired. He doesn’t have a fight this year, and he won’t have a fight this year. Conor McGregor will not fight in 2020. I’m not saying he won’t fight in 2021, but I’m telling you we don’t have a fight planned for him in 2021, but I guarantee he will not fight in 2020. Conor McGregor is retired.

In the meantime, the UFC plans to hold an event every weekend for the rest of the year.