Dana Says McGregor Is A Bigger Star Than GSP And Lesnar
UFC President Dana White spoke on the UFC 178 post-fight show on Fox Sports 1 about Conor McGregor’s star power.
Earlier in the night, in what has been called ‘the people’s main event,’ McGregor defeated Dustin Poirier via TKO in under 2-minutes of the 1st round.
“Conor McGregor is the real deal – he is legit. 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.”
“I’m a believer. He did exactly what he said he was going to do. Did I think Conor was going to win? I had no idea. Did I think he was actually going to go out and stop Poirier in the first round? I did not.
“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.”
“Was a nation behind GSP when GSP started? 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.”
After last night do you believe the hype behind ‘Notorious’?
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