Conor McGregor Says His Relationship With UFC Brass Is ‘In A Good Place’

Conor McGregor and the UFC seem to mending their relationship.

Last week, UFC president Dana White told The Dan Patrick Show that he was going to meet with Conor in order to help their struggling partnership.

“Conor and I have been talking every day. We’re gonna have dinner next week. Our relationship is great. We’re gonna put the little speed bump in the road behind us and move forward. Everything is great.”

Fox Sports later reported that White, McGregor, and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta had apparently “hashed things out.” Fox also posted an Instagram photo of a visibly-happy Dana White – and not-so-visibly happy Fertitta – on their private jet leaving the McGregor meeting. The photo was posted to suggest the meeting went well.

Apparently, Conor McGregor felt the same way.

In an advertisement for an interview McGregor will be having with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne this coming Sunday, Conor described his recent meeting with the UFC brass in positive terms.

“Yeah. I met with Dana and Mr. Fertitta. Good conversation like it always is. We have a good relationship. It is what it is. It happens. This is the fight game. Sometimes emotions get into it. But it’s important to recognize that emotions have no place in business. That’s essentially what it was last night. We just set it aside. There’s no place for emotions in this. We are doing beautiful things. So let’s continue. Let’s fix it and let’s continue.”

Mayne then asked McGregor where his relationship with Lorezno and Dana would be on a football field.

“Sitting in the middle. In a good place,” Conor responded.

That is certainly an improvement over where it was a month ago. Though Conor McGregor is widely hailed as the UFC’s top draw, he recently fell out of favor with the promotion’s management when he tweeted that he was retiring early.

Conor would eventually be pulled from the UFC 200 main event because he did not fulfill his promotional obligations. His opponent, Nate Diaz, would drop out shortly after, saying if he was not fighting Conor, he was going on vacation.

In a long Facebook post, McGregor explained his reasons for not showing up at the UFC’s promotional events, saying “I am just trying to do my job and fight” and “I am not yet paid to promote.”

White, however, was completely unsympathetic to McGregor’s reasons.

“We try to give as much leeway as we can on things,” White said last month at UFC 200’s promotional event. “But you have to show up and promote the fight. Is it too much to ask to try to shoot a commercial for the fight? A lot of these guys came here from different parts of the world. But, you know, these guys all came. They have better things to do, and they’re here. It’s part of the job.”

White, however, did say Conor would return to the cage soon. When asked on The Dan Patrick Show about McGregor returning to the promotion at UFC 202, White responded, “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

The UFC president is right to consider Conor’s return a “good idea.”

The UFC had one of its most successful years last year, earning a record-setting $600 million in revenue.

Part of this revenue spike was Ronda Rousey. The other part? Conor McGregor.

Ronda may also be missing in action far past her originally scheduled return of November 2016. With film obligations and rumors of motherhood, Ronda may not be stepping into the octagon for years.

With her out of the equation, who else can the Ultimate Fighting Championship market?

Jon Jones? He’s a loose cannon who can’t keep himself on the right side of the law.

Anderson Silva? He will be out for a while thanks to surgery. He may also be past his prime.

Georges St. Pierre? Maybe, if he ever comes back.

It therefore seems that the UFC’s chances of making or surpassing its 2015 mark rest solely on the shoulders of one man.

Conor McGregor.

[Image by John Locher/AP Images]

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