'I went to dinner with Conor McGregor and made my mind up about him instantly'

Irish Daily Mirror

11-05-2025

Conor McGregor may not have fought in the UFC since 2021, but Dana White instantly knew that the Irishman would be one of the biggest stars in the sport.
The 36-year-old would become the first UFC fighter to be a two-weight champion simultaneously. Following his shock knockout of iconic featherweight champion Jose Aldo in 13 seconds, less than a year later, McGregor stopped Eddie Alvarez to clinch the lightweight title in 2016.
This saw him replicate a feat from earlier in his career, having been a double champion during his time with Cage Warriors. In the aftermath, UFC CEO and president White faced a clamour from fans demanding that the company sign McGregor, and he took little time to decide that 'Notorious' could be one of the leading fighters for the organisation.
"I went to dinner when we first signed him, he flew out here to Vegas, and he and I went to dinner," White told Bro Bible in 2021. "It was my first real interaction with him.
"When I left that dinner, I called my partner Lorenzo [Fertitta] and said, 'Let me tell you what, I don't know if this kid can fight or not. But if he can even throw a punch, he's going to be a massive superstar.'
"I knew it that night with him. His personality, the energy around this kid, I'd never met anybody like him. The closest thing to it was Ronda Rousey."
McGregor's rise through the UFC's featherweight rankings made for remarkable viewing. From his debut win in April 2013 to winning the title against Aldo in December 2015, he won six of his first seven UFC fights by TKO or KO.
A two-fight series with Nate Diaz, during which he moved up two weight classes, helped McGregor further elevate his stock before a masterclass performance in his lightweight title victory over Alvarez. A crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather followed and captured global attention, but also signalled the start of McGregor's inactivity in a UFC octagon.
McGregor returned to MMA for his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 in a bout that was marred by controversy before and after the fight. The former two-weight champion has not fought since breaking his leg in a second successive defeat to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. A scheduled fight with Michael Chandler last June was cancelled due to injury.
In March, when asked about plans for a potential McGregor return, White replied: "Conor? I'm not sure when Conor will be back." On social media, McGregor has shared that his next fight would need to be in a stadium and has attempted to revive his planned bout with Chandler, who recently lost to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314.
When asked about his fighting career earlier this year, McGregor hinted that he would be content if he were unable to agree on a new fight, and has shared his aspirations to move into politics in the future. "I'm happy with what I've done," McGregor explained, as reported by talkSPORT in March.
"There's something else for me that's in my gut right now and that's kind of where I'm going. So we'll see, greatness doesn't rush. And right now Ireland is in my thoughts and that's where I'm at."
He added: "I've got two fights on the [UFC] contract, I'm in negotiations. Last week something happened to me. I went to The White House and my country is...my heart bleeds for my country right now. So there's a lot of stuff going on back home."
Outside of the sport, McGregor was recently the subject of a civil court case. In November, a Dublin court ruled McGregor had assaulted Nikita Hand, and the UFC fighter was ordered to pay more than €248,000 in damages.