"Why would you try to curb the departed Francis Ngannou?" UFC President dismisses controversy over timing of McGregor's return announcement as "nonsense, just a conspiracy theory"

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Dana White (57), UFC President, firmly dismissed conspiracy theories surrounding the timing of Conor McGregor's (38) announcement for his return to the octagon.

The UK's "The Sun" reported on the 25th (local time) that "White completely denied allegations that he deliberately timed the announcement of McGregor's participation in UFC 329 to dampen the excitement of a competing promotion's event."

Earlier, on the 23rd, White officially announced via a social media (SNS) live broadcast that McGregor would face Max Holloway. The two are set to meet in the main event of 'UFC 329' on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The media stated, "The matchup itself, which had been in the works for two months, was not surprising, but the timing of the announcement was peculiar." It added, "At the time of the announcement, the first mixed martial arts (MMA) event co-hosted by Netflix and MVP was taking place in California."

It further noted, "Coincidentally, White broke the news of McGregor's return at the exact moment former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who had previously parted ways with UFC after conflicts, stepped into the cage." In response, MMA fans worldwide raised conspiracy theories suggesting White intentionally timed the announcement to counter Ngannou and the MVP side.

However, White strongly refuted these claims in an interview. He stated, "We were also busy hosting our own event that night," and drew a line by saying, "If you think I'm paying attention to what's happening elsewhere, you're out of your mind."

Meanwhile, this fight marks McGregor's first return since suffering a severe leg fracture in his third bout against Dustin Poirier five years ago. It is also his first rematch against Holloway in 13 years. Ahead of his octagon return, McGregor expressed confidence, saying, "I have launched into an intense training camp with overflowing energy. I am enjoying the opportunity to once again prove the completeness of my martial arts to the world."

This fight also marks McGregor's first match since losing the final appeal in a 2018 assault case. He was civilly sued in December 2018 for allegedly assaulting a woman at a hotel in Dublin. While he has steadfastly denied the allegations, his appeal was rejected last December by the Supreme Court, making him legally liable.

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*This content was translated by AI.