INGLEWOOD, CALIF. – What convenient timing Dana White’s UFC 329: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2 announcement was Saturday.
At the exact moment Francis Ngannou walked to the cage at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., White was hosting his UFC Fight Night 276 card at Meta APEX in Las Vegas – and decided to hop on Instagram live.
White announced the entire UFC 329 event for July 11, the promotion’s International Fight Week event. McGregor vs. Holloway 2, Benoit Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett, and Gable Steveson’s debut opponent were among the fight bookings he rattled off.
The announcements overstimulated the combat sports world and served as a distraction from the fights at hand. So how was the potential gamesmanship-oriented move by White received by Most Valuable Promotions co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian?
“Oh, the cokehead is back,” Paul told MMA Junkie and other reporters following the conclusion of Rousey vs. Carano. “That’s cool, bro. Drop it during our event. It doesn’t matter. That just shows how pressed they are – little, insecure boys trying to piggyback off their event and try to put some news over top of us. It’s not going to work, buddy.”
Bidarian took a little calmer of approach, switching out insults for compliments. He praised McGregor and thanked the UFC for the timing of their announcement, though it’s up for interpretation whether either was said with subtle sarcasm.
“On the flip side, I’m super excited Conor is back,” Bidarian said. “He’s one of the most engaging characters in the sport. I think it’s good for the sport. I’ve said this numerous times: The biggest fight outside of Paul-Tyson globally is Paul-McGregor. Hopefully Conor is back and hopefully these two run it in boxing and MMA and we shatter their records all over again. Welcome back, Conor and thank you Dana for bringing him back during the Francis Ngannou walkout. That’s beautiful.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jake Paul reacts to timing of Dana White’s UFC 329, Conor McGregor announcements