Conor McGregor has paid tribute to UFC president Dana White and former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta in a new Instagram post, alongside a photo of the three men talking last night.
In the post, McGregor hailed the two as ‘legends’ and ‘mentors’ as he approaches the biggest fight of his life against boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas on August 26th.
It’s not always been plain sailing between them, however – particularly when McGregor refused to turn up for a press tour for his rematch with Nate Diaz last year, which led to White pulling him from the UFC 200 card and then ‘The Notorious’ declaring that he was going to retire.
They soon got back on track and the rescheduled McGregor vs Diaz II event delivered record-breaking pay-per-view numbers, but there was more friction in the months that followed after the UFC head honchos made it clear he’d have to give up his featherweight title due to inactivity after winning the lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.
All’s well that ends well though, and with Dana White having helped successfully broker the deal to make Mayweather vs. McGregor a reality, ensuring the Irish sensation will earn in the region of $70 million, it’s little wonder that their relationship has never been stronger.
It’ll be interesting to see if it remains that way after this megafight concludes though, as White will no doubt be looking to get McGregor back into the Octagon afterwards, which could prove tricky on a number of different levels – particularly financially.
