UFC head Dana White praised Conor McGregor but wonders if Dustin Poiriers’ training with ‘killers’ gives him the edge.
White was speaking to the Las Vegas Sun ahead of the third McGregor-Poirier clash, and began the interview by saying there was nobody like him .
“I like working with Conor. It’s different,” he began.
“He’s different than anyone we’ve ever had. He’s a huge superstar, but when he’s part of a press conference, a weigh-in or a fight, it’s just more exciting.”
White then claimed that McGregor should not be discounted, but acknowledged that Poirier gets credit from the public from his obvious hard work as he trains in Florida.
Of McGregor, he said: “People have forgotten what he’s done and are looking at how much money he’s made. He’s the highest-paid athlete in the world this year. He just spent the last three months before he went to training camp on a yacht.
“Who the (expletive) spends three months on a yacht? So the storyline of this fight is, ‘How does a guy like that stay sharp and stay hungry?’ Dustin is down there in Florida every day training with killers, guys trying to take his head off. You know he’s going to be absolutely prepared for this fight.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, White suggested that there was huge interest in the pay-per-view event for Saturday night, which is the biggest UFC night since the coronavirus pandemic hit.
“This is the most unique event we’ve ever done because of everything going on and reopening Vegas, a place we never imagined would shut down,” he said.
“The list of celebrities is the most we’ve ever had. Getting them tickets has been driving me insane. The tickets are the worst part of this job. I’ve been dealing with it for hours every day.
"The pre- pay-per-view buys are the most we’ve ever done, and I’m telling people to pre-buy. Don’t be one of the 2 million people trying to buy it on Saturday at the last minute. I’m not saying this to sell the fight and secure buys. I don’t give a (expletive). I’m going to see it. If you want to see the fight, I’d just pre-buy it because the worst thing is when I’m sitting down there, and they come tell me, 'People are having trouble buying the fight.'"