Dana White, like most UFC fans, was in awe of what Conor McGregor did on Saturday night. Conor KO’d #5 ranked featherweight Dustin Poirier in their UFC 178 match up. Everyone knew Conor could talk the talk but seeing him easily handle a legit fighter cemented him as “the real deal.”
The “Notorious” Conor McGregor proved that he is already the most captivating figure in the UFC and Dana White knows it.
“Conor McGregor is the real deal – he is legit,” White said on FOX Sports 1. “He is a force that I have never seen ever. Bigger than Brock Lesnar when he was here. Bigger than any of the fighters we’ve ever had. Yes, (he’s bigger than Georges St-Pierre). I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Dana went on to discuss how he first signed McGregor:
“This whole Conor McGregor thing has been very fascinating to me. (When) I went over to Ireland, I received that award from Trinity College, and literally all I heard was Conor McGregor the whole time I was over there. I came back here and I was like, ‘Who the hell is this kid? Let’s get this kid signed.’ So we signed him and he came out to Las Vegas, and we went and ate and hung out a little bit. I told (UFC CEO) Lorenzo (Fertitta), ‘If this kid can even fight this much, this much, if he can even throw a punch, this kid is going to be (something special).’ It’s bigger than anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s crazy. It’s bigger than anything I’ve ever seen.”
UFC 178 began as a card that featured one of the biggest fights of the decade, Jones vs Cormier, but ended with the introduction of a Star in McGregor.
“Was a nation behind GSP when GSP started?” White asked. “Let me tell you this. We’re way over (projections for UFC 178). The numbers, Lorenzo and I were talking about it, and we contribute it ALL to Conor McGregor.”
Check out Conor’s UFC 178 Post Fight Media Scrum & See What The Hype is About: