For a few hours there, it seemed like all was right when it came to UFC 200. Late Sunday night, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor tweeted that he had mended fences with UFC brass, and was readded to the UFC 200 card.
Happy to announce that I am BACK on UFC 200!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 25, 2016
Shout out to @danawhite and @lorenzofertitta on getting this one done for the fans. #Respect
Happiness! Celebration! Rejoicing!
Unfortunately, it wasn't true. UFC President Dana White told TMZ the following:
It's not true. We haven't talked to Conor or his manager since the press conference. I don't know why he would tweet that.
All the media keeps asking me that. I feel like the scene in Step Brothers when they ask if they can build the bunk beds. I don't know how many more times I can say the fight is off or how many more press conferences I can have saying the fight is off for people to believe it's off.
McGregor and the UFC have been embroiled in an ugly, (mostly) backstage back-and-forth over the last week due to McGregor no-showing an April 22 press conference to promote UFC 200, which led to the UFC pulling McGregor off the card. Despite the fact that both McGregor and his would-be opponent, Nate Diaz, have repeatedly reiterated the fact that they want the fight to stay on the card, the UFC seems insistent on scrapping it because of the "bad precedent" a fighter prioritizing training over the UFC's promotional plans would set.
Given the fact that UFC 200 remains more than three months away, there is still plenty of time for the UFC and McGregor to mend fences and restore the fight. The early outlook, however, indicates this won't happen.
