Dana White has shut down claims that he intentionally timed the UFC 329 announcement to overshadow Francis Ngannou and Most Valuable Promotions’ debut MMA event.
The controversy started earlier this month during the Rousey vs. Carano card when White went live on social media to officially announce UFC 329 while Ngannou was making his walk to the cage for his featured bout against Philipe Lins.
The announcement confirmed Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return after five years away from the Octagon. McGregor is set to face Max Holloway in a blockbuster rematch on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Many fans quickly accused Dana White of counter-programming the MVP event, especially with Ngannou making his first MMA appearance in two years under the Most Valuable Promotions banner. However, White insists the timing had nothing to do with Ngannou or MVP.
“Not a coincidence, I had a f*cking fight here that night,” Dana White said during an interview with Fred Talks Fighting after Saturday’s Brand Risk 14 event at the Meta APEX.
“Anybody who thinks that I gave a sht what was going on anywhere else is out of their fcking minds.”
Dana White explained that the UFC announced the fight as soon as the deal was finalized, adding that the promotion was already in the middle of its own event at the time.
“We announced it as soon as we got it done and we were in the middle of our event,” White said.“I don’t give a f*ck what those guys are doing. Are you kidding me?”
The McGregor vs. Holloway rematch had been one of the sport’s worst-kept secrets for months. Holloway himself recently admitted he had kept the matchup quiet for nearly six months due to the scale of the fight and the need to make sure everything was finalized before going public.
Despite Dana White’s denial, the timing sparked plenty of reaction across the MMA world. Ronda Rousey reportedly described the move as “catty,” while MVP co-founder Jake Paul appeared unfazed, suggesting the UFC’s attention only added more buzz to MVP’s first MMA event.
