It has long been said that Conor McGregor gets special treatment from the UFC and Dana White. He often got to break the rules and skip the line for title shots.
Dana White has finally come out and confirmed that Conor McGregor does get special treatment and he explained to Daniel Cormier why that is. The UFC president made his feelings on the matter very clear.
“When we started this thing and this guy was on his rise—and believe me, I’ve dealt with a fuckin’ thousands fighters,” White told Daniel Cormier (h/t MMA News). ‘Oh, this isn’t the fight for me at this time’ and ‘This isn’t that, this isn’t this,’ this fuckin’ kid, we’ve been in a house that he was renting. I think it was when [José Aldo pulled out of 2015 bout]. This is what he said us: ‘I don’t give a fuck who you get. I’m going to work out. When you figure it out, call me and let me know.’
“And then the Nate Diaz fight, another fight fell out for him, he said, ‘Well, let’s fight Diaz.’ ‘Well, do you want to do—’ ‘No, I don’t want it at catchweight. If I don’t fight him at this weight, it doesn’t matter. It’s bullshit if I don’t fight him at his weight.”
“Conor McGregor has been that guy since the day that he walked into this fuckin’ company,” UFC president White added. “So for anybody to point the finger and say, ‘Oh, this guy’s getting special treatment…’ (Because) This guy’s special. This guy’s fuckin’ special. You know how many fighters I’ve fuckin’ dealt with that’ll talk to me about, ‘This isn’t good for my brand.’ ‘I’m not fighting my friends…’”
It's safe to say Dana White and the UFC prefer fighters that often say yes and make things easier on them. It's certainly not fair but it's up to the athletes to come together and demand a change.