Dana White Clarifies His Stance On Banning Flags And McGregor’s Return
In some MMA news, Dana White has opened up about putting an end to a flag ban that had been imposed in the sport.
The CEO of the UFC’s comments came in the aftermath of Joe Pyfer covering himself in an American flag following his win over Abdul Razak Alhassan. The former had managed to stop his opponent in via a second-round submission at UFC Vegas 80.
The UFC’s ban on flags came as a result of the Russian war in Ukraine, which prevented fighters from covering themselves in flags.
White On Flags
But now that the dust has settled down somewhat, this is what White had to say: “Flags are back. I was on vacation during the Mexican Independence Day, and the no flag thing drove me crazy. So I was like, ‘Yeah, f*ck that. We’re bringing flags back.’ It drove me crazy,” White said
The decision has naturally raised a lot of talking points over whether or not sport should be mixed with politics. This is particularly since it may be seen as a way of endorsing a particular type of message.
And yet, by banning the use of any flags, it could have the converse impact of alienating those who hold dear to those flags. With that being said, this is what White had to say.
“Everybody’s too soft, everybody’s too sensitive about everything. When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’ Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch and I was like, ‘That’s enough of the no flags thing.’ Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad,” White
White On McGregor
Meanwhile, Dana White has responded to claims that Conor McGregor may have enrolled into USADA.
The Notorious has long been linked with making a comeback in 2023 against Michael Chandler following his defeat and broken leg against Dustin Poirier.
And as part of that process, McGregor has been required to provide two negative USADA samples over a six-month period before he can compete.
As of now, no official confirmation has come from USADA. And yet, the Notorious did hint that a return could be on the cards with his following comments:
That would put McGregor in line for a potential return at UFC 300 in April. Despite this being the case, White has nothing to offer anything new in that regard.
“No. He is not officially in the USADA testing pool. He submitted the paperwork, probably by Monday he’ll be submitted. Again, don’t hold me to that, but the paperwork is submitted, next week sometime,” White
McGregor’s Return
As a result, McGregor’s next fight remains uncertain. Chandler, however, has continued to remain optimistic that the bout would happen at some point in the future.
But based on everything that we have seen so far, a return does not look forthcoming. After all, White has stated that there is nothing in the pipeline for McGregor. His following comments confirmed as much
“I literally have nothing planned for Conor McGregor right now. The paperwork is being submitted. We’ll play it by ear, see how things work out, there’s still a lot of things that have to happen as far as fights go and then we’ll decide where he’s going to land,” White stated
Nevertheless, the Notorious has responded since then. The fighter’s latest update shows that a return could be on the cards with his following comments.
I’m back in the pool. Will be doing my stint at high elevation before the bout.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 8, 2023
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