The Legendary First Meeting Between Conor McGregor And Dana White At UFC Sweden

Conor McGregor and UFC president Dana White's first meeting back in 2013 is the stuff of legends.

McGregor had just won his UFC debut in spectacular style by stopping Marcus Brimage in 67 seconds and the Irishman paid a visit to White.

They immediately embraced with the UFC boss welcoming him to the promotion before showering the MMA star with special praise.

"So, there's been a lot of hype. I guess the hype is real," White said to which a jubilant McGregor replied by saying "yeah" a few times.

McGregor, draped in an Irish flag, and White continued to talk about the fight before changing the subject to his next fight.

White, a Boston native, mapped out McGregor's future which included a fight in Boston and an Ireland homecoming - two things which eventually happened.

Image: Dana White

After defeating Brimage on his UFC debut in Sweden, McGregor returned to action by facing Max Holloway in Boston.

McGregor won the bout but suffered a serious knee injury which kept him out of action for 10 months, though he made his UFC comeback on home soil by headlining a massive card in Dublin.

And the rest is history.

McGregor, meanwhile, hasn't fought since his submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, yet he's set to fight Donald Cerrone next year.

He takes on 'Cowboy' in a welterweight bout at UFC 246 on January 18 and White believes the 31-year-old must win in order to stay relevant.

"He has been training hard, he has been getting ready for this moment," he said on the Stephen A. Smith show.

"The problem is, Stephen A. you've seen this, not just in fighting but in other sports, when a guy has 100 and something million dollars, he's young, he's famous and now he is unbelievably rich, it is hard to keep the train on the tracks for some guys. That has definitely been Conor McGregor.

"I think he is at a point now where he realizes he needs to get his act together. This win over 'Cowboy' Cerrone if he can pull it off is crucial in his career right now and his future. So, he is taking it very serious, he wants to stay active. That is why this fight is at 170 and hopefully we will get three good fights from him this year."

Topics: Conor Mcgregor, UFC News, UFC 246, Cerrone, Fight News, UFC, MMA, Dana White

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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