UFC President Dana White has revealed Conor McGregor's reaction to the news of Rafael dos Anjos' injury after the lightweight champion pulled out of their bout at UFC 196 with a broken foot.
White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports the Irish superstar will remain in the main event and that he is willing to fight any competitor put in front of him:
When we told Conor, he said, 'Come on! This [expletive] guy! Oh my God! He's pulling out?'
But when we went through the options, he said he'd fight any of them.
I swear to God, he said, 'I'll fight anyone.' He just doesn't give a [expletive]. People talk about this strained relationship between us and Conor, and he has a different style than I've ever seen, but I have never seen anyone like Conor. The closest was Chuck Liddell, but we've never had one like Conor. You think he's not hurt? But when he says he's going to fight, he's going to fight no matter what.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting quoted dos Anjos' coach, Rafael Cordeiro, confirming the fighter is unable to compete and that he "won't need surgery on his injured foot at this time, however, he can't put any pressure on it for at least three weeks."
McGregor was attempting to become a two-weight champion by defeating dos Anjos, which would have added the Brazilian's title to the Irishman's UFC featherweight strap.
Undoubtedly, the pair will reunite when the lightweight king is once again fit to step in the Octagon, but the organisation now has two weeks to find a suitable and credible replacement.
McGregor has become the primary name in MMA after his electric performance against ex-featherweight champion Jose Aldo, and White said the fighter has refused a rematch with the Irishman at UFC 196, per Iole.
Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone has put his name forward as a potential replacement for dos Anjos, according to FoxSports.com's Damon Martin, but it is unclear if he is under consideration.
Whoever White chooses to fight McGregor on March 5, it will be a difficult bout to market without time to build up an interesting confrontation.
McGregor's eye will remain on championship gold, and he will not allow any factor to stop him from fighting dos Anjos when he is declared fit.
