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Published 17:15 IST, April 9th 2020

Dana White pours cold water over Conor McGregor's chances at title shot

UFC President Dana White says former double champion Conor McGregor will not get a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov before the winner of UFC 249.

Reported by: Raj Sarkar
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UFC president Dana White recently made an announcement which could be heartbreaking for a number of UFC fans, as Conor McGregor is not going to get a shot at the lightweight title anytime soon. According to Dana White, Justin Gaethje deserved the opportunity before Conor McGregor and he wants to line up the winner of UFC 249 opposite Khabib Nurmagomedov for the 155 lbs UFC gold. Conor McGregor, therefore, will not be getting his hands on the lightweight strap anytime soon and the much-awaited rematch between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov has also been put on hold.

Also Read | Dana White Refuses To Put The Blame On Khabib Nurmagomedov For Pulling Out Of UFC 249

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UFC: Dana White rules out Conor McGregor’s lightweight title shot

During an interaction with ESPN, Dana White revealed that the winner of the UFC 249 main event is going to get the next lightweight title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov, which instantly rules out Conor McGregor from the list. “Everybody felt that if Conor was going to get a shot at Khabib that actually Gaethje should get it before Conor. I mean it couldn’t have worked out any better. You get Gaethje vs Tony. It’s the fight that makes sense. It’s two of the top guys in the world. Khabib is out so the winner (Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje) will face Khabib.” said UFC President Dana White.

Also Read | UFC's Dana White Is Going To Secure A Private Island To Host International UFC Fights

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UFC: How did Conor McGregor get into the UFC 249 mix?

After Khabib Nurmagomedov’s departure from the UFC 249 fight card, numerous fighters expressed their interest in replacing him opposite Tony Ferguson. Needless to say, Conor McGregor was one of them. Conor’s head coach John Kavanagh took to Twitter and went on to hint a potential matchup between Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson. However, he later billed it as an ‘April Fool’s' prank and refuted all rumours about Conor McGregor possibly lighting up the main event of UFC 249.

Also Read | UFC news: UFC President Dana White Confirms Ferguson Vs Gaethje To Take Place 'somewhere On Earth'

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Also Read | UFC news: UFC President Dana White Vehemently Denies Leaked Tape Lawsuit Allegations

(Image courtesy: Zuffa LLC)

17:15 IST, April 9th 2020