Dana White claimed that the UFC White House card would be finalized by the middle of February. The event is expected to be the biggest in UFC history, and several fighters are clambering for a spot on the card.
One name is Conor McGregor. The Irishman remains possibly the biggest name in combat sports despite not having fought since 2021.
Ariel Helwani, while speaking on his show, brought up an interesting name as a possible opponent for McGregor.
Helwani believed Paddy Pimblett would be a great option despite the Brit losing to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324:
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“The big fish for the White House card is Conor McGregor, right? That’s the big dog, that’s the big draw.”
Helwani dissected the lightweight division’s future fights and while he wanted Michael Chandler to face McGregor, Pimblett seemed to be an option too:
“If he [McGregor] is involved, I can see a scenario where it’s him vs. Paddy. If it’s not [Michael] Chandler. I think it should be Chandler number 1. If it’s not Chandler, Paddy’s probably number 2 at this point. [Justin] Gaethje fights Ilia [Topuria] and Arman’s [Tsarukyan] gonna have to fight someone else because they just don’t seem to be huge fans of his.”
Helwani further explained why McGregor vs. Pimblett made sense after the UFC 324 card:
“Of the realistic options, Paddy’s probably the biggest. Paddy is a big time draw. Dana White said afterwards this [UFC 324] exceeded expectations by double but of the realistic options and of the potential winnable options, Paddy’s probably the best one.”
He went on to say that Pimblett not becoming the champion might work in his favor to fight on the White House card.
“The fact that he didn’t win that [UFC 324] fight. The fact that he is not a champion, as opposed to Justin Gaethje, actually increases his chances of getting this fight.”
Check out Ariel Helwani’s take on the UFC White House event below:
Conor McGregor might not fight two big names at the White House card
Ariel Helwani brought up Michael Chandler during this show, and for the longest time it seemed that he would faced Conor McGregor.
The pair were to fight in 2024 but McGregor pulled out after suffering a broken toe. Chandler has been calling out McGregor for a fight at the White House, but Dana White turned that down.
The UFC head also dismissed the idea of Jorge Masvidal fighting Conor McGregor, despite ‘Gamebred’ suggesting the fight could be on for the 14 June event.
Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim