Conor McGregor has claimed he is in negotiations with the Donald Trump administration rather than the UFC over a potential fight at the White House.
McGregor has expressed a strong desire to fight at the touted White House event next summer, an event that UFC president Dana White has been planning with US president Trump, with the Irishman even going as far as insisting that a bout against long-time rival Michael Chandler is already in place on the card.
But in a twist, McGregor says he has bypassed the UFC and is instead locked in talks with Trump over his appearance.
“I’m not negotiating with the UFC on behalf of myself for this fight like usual. I’m negotiating with the United States of America on behalf of Ireland for this fight,” McGregor said, who earlier this month dropped out of the Irish presidential race after trying to establish himself in the political sphere.
“It’s a peculiar one. Trump and the administration have been fully supportive and backing, and I cannot wait to put on a show.”
Trump, a friend of White, said earlier this year that he wanted to celebrate 250 years of his country’s existence by holding fights at the White House. And White, 56, recently said a breakthrough had been made and even shared mocked-up images of an Octagon on the South Lawn.
After revealing his intention to fight at the event, McGregor outlined his staggering pay demands, saying he wants “$100m” and “100 US ‘Golden Visas’”.
It would be McGregor’s first bout since 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in his second straight loss to old rival Dustin Poirier.
In March, he visited the White House as part of the administration’s St Patrick’s Day festivities, using his trip to air grievances over immigration in Ireland before pleading for help from the US. It came a week after Trump called McGregor “great”, naming the fighter as his favourite Irish person, with McGregor also attending Trump’s inauguration in January.
The former two-weight UFC champion has been increasingly vocal about what he deems political issues in Ireland, becoming notorious for his out-of-cage exploits.
His career has also been marred by legal issues in recent years. In November, a civil-court jury found that the 37-year-old was liable for sexual assault in 2018. McGregor continues to deny the allegations against him but lost an appeal against the verdict in July.
