“No, you don’t just show up and say, yeah, I’m not gonna fight, I want a quarter of a million dollars. Not the way it works, hasn’t worked that way for anybody. So, what we do is we try to get you another fight, we try to turn you around quickly.”Dana White says Conor will be fighting Michael Chandler. pic.twitter.com/BucNMf0fIcIn December 2022, ‘Wonderboy’ ended a two-fight skid by securing a unanimous decision win against Kevin Holland. The 40-year-old hopes to make one last run at becoming the UFC welterweight champion. Therefore, he saw Pereira’s added weight as a disadvantage that could end his chances of accomplishing a lifelong goal.
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 9, 2023
‘Wonderboy’ later revealed the UFC didn’t pay him his show money because he didn’t want to fight Pereira at a slight weight disadvantage. As a result, the MMA community heavily debated whether or not the fan favorite deserved to get paid. While speaking to the media on Tuesday, Dana White addressed the situation by saying:
On July 29, ‘Wonderboy’ was scheduled to fight Michel Pereira on the UFC 291 main card. Unfortunately, Pereira missed weight by three pounds, and the karate specialist wasn’t willing to accept the change to catchweight.
“I talked to Conor either yesterday or the day before. He’s ready to fight. I said, listen, get in shape, and let’s figure this thing out. Yeah, yeah, he’s fighting Chandler. Conor likes to f*ck with everybody. You know what I mean? Especially his opponent or possible opponent.”
Dana White provided updates on Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson getting paid for UFC 291 and Conor McGregor’s next opponent. — Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 9, 2023
On Tuesday night, Dana White ended the rumors of Conor McGregor wanting to fight someone other than Michael Chandler. Over the past month, McGregor has continued to tease Chandler, who he coached against on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, by claiming he would potentially fight someone else for his highly-anticipated Octagon return.
Dana White talks Stephen Thompson.#UFC pic.twitter.com/4rLr1cbgJbDana White confirms Conor McGregor will fight Michael Chandler
Dana White talks Stephen Thompson.#UFC pic.twitter.com/4rLr1cbgJb
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