Dana White has always had a weak spot for Conor McGregor. Despite the haze related to McGregor’s return at UFC 303, the UFC head honcho praised the Irishman once more while appearing on Andrew Schulz’s ‘Flagrant’ YouTube podcast. However, fans may be startled after witnessing that White counted McGregor to be on par with the boxing legend, Muhammad Ali, especially when it came to mental warfare.
Almost every UFC fan may have witnessed how McGregor played with Jose Aldo’s mental frame and subjected him to a humiliating defeat at UFC 194. However, avid boxing fans know that Ali had been doing the same to his rivals long before McGregor stepped into combat sports.
A large chunk of fans may also agree that it was Ali who made trash-talking an art of the sport. However, ‘The Louisville Slugger’s’ words were perceived as predictions as he managed to back up his words with his in-ring showdowns.
White mentioned how McGregor was on the same “level” as Ali in this regard since he also tormented his rivals mentally before breaking them inside the octagon, saying,
“I don’t give a fu*k what anybody says. [But to me] Ali and Conor [are on the same] level. They are the two best of all times when it comes to mental warfare.”
Interestingly, while many in the combat sports community may count White’s comparison as a legitimate one, most UFC fans are still confused about whether McGregor will honor his fight contract at UFC 303.
Will the UFC 303 feature Conor McGregor even after all the recent controversy?
The cancellation of the pre-UFC 303 press conference in Dublin came as a shock to most UFC fans. Many of them, including McGregor’s rival, Michael Chandler, had also dissed ‘The Notorious’ after a few videos showcased him partying, even though he had only four weeks left in his return fight.
These two incidents led to predictions that McGregor was fooling them once again, and that he wouldn’t be fighting at UFC 303 on 29 June. At the same time, rumors claimed that McGregor might have an injury, which is why he won’t return at UFC 303.
The renowned MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani and several other fans are still pretty positive about the materialization of all the announced fights at UFC 303, including McGregor’s. However, the UFC has remained secretive about the entire issue and only time can reveal if McGregor will face off against Michael Chandler at UFC 303.
