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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 20: Conor McGregor (R) and UFC president Dana White (L) speak at the UFC 229 press conference at Radio City Music Hall on September 20, 2018 in New York City. McGregor will face UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event on October 6, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 20: Conor McGregor (R) and UFC president Dana White (L) speak at the UFC 229 press conference at Radio City Music Hall on September 20, 2018 in New York City. McGregor will face UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event on October 6, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Conor McGregor had planned to make 2020 a season for him after the win over Donald Cerrone last year. However, that couldn’t happen after the world went sideways following a global pandemic. McGregor is now looking to pick up the momentum from his last win. While he hasn’t spoken very precisely about his plans for 2021, Dana White predicted the former double champ to fight two or three times this year.
While talking to Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, White gave props to all those fighters who kept fighting frequently, even in 2020. The biggest name that came up in this category was that of Kevin Holland, who competed five times in 2020.
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LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 25: UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor poses on the scale during his official weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on August 25, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. McGregor will meet boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a super welterweight boxing match at T-Mobile Arena on August 26. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“Through the pandemic, a lot of these kids that were fighting all the time like Kevin Holland. This kid fought five times in 2020. He’s a rising star for us right now. A lot of kids got some shine during that pandemic,” Dana White told Stephen A. Smith.
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“Going into this year, if the Conor McGregor that we’re dealing with right now stays on course and does what he’s supposed to do, we could see Conor two or three times this year,” White added.
The interview was played right before the main event of UFC Fight Night: Max Holloway vs Calvin Kattar.
Dana White can’t help but laud the star power of Conor McGregor
The Irishman has been the biggest cash cow of the UFC for the past decade. While one can argue that there were fighters who had better performances inside the Octagon, no one had the drawing potential akin to ‘The Notorious’.
“Conor McGregor has been a massive star for us. Big crossover guy. Not just in the United States but what he’s done for us in the UK, throughout Europe, Australia. This kid is a massive superstar,” White added.
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As of late, McGregor has been infrequent with his UFC appearances. However, as the world adjusts to a new normal with fans beginning to trickle back into the arena, McGregor has all the reasons to fight more often. If he manages to win next weekend over Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov will be on the cards.
Read More: ‘We’ll Drop a Bomb’- Dana White Has Something Big Planned For UFC Fans
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