UFC CEO Dana White insists the announcement of Conor McGregor's blockbuster return fight wasn't meant to overshadow Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural MMA event on Netflix last weekend.
"I had a f-----g fight here that night," White told Fred Talks Fighting. "Anybody who thinks that I gave a shit what was going on anywhere else is out of their f-----g minds."
MVP MMA 1 featured several high-profile MMA stars, including a main event between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. Mike Perry, Nate Diaz, and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou also appeared on the card.
However, while Ngannou walked to the cage to face Philipe Lins during the Netflix event, White announced a welterweight bout between McGregor and Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11. McGregor, a former two-division champion, hasn't fought since 2021.
Many in the MMA world speculated that White tried to steal the spotlight from the MVP's card with his announcement on social media.
"We announced it as soon as we got it done, and we were in the middle of our event. I don't give a f--k what those guys are doing," White added.
MVP said that an estimated 12.4 million people tuned in for its MMA event, with viewership peaking at almost 17 million during Rousey-Carano. According to the promotion, the card was the United States' most-watched MMA event ever, averaging 9.3 million viewers and peaking at 11.6 million.
Rousey, a UFC Hall of Famer returning from a 10-year layoff, submitted Carano with an armbar 17 seconds into the fight.
