Dana White: We just lost our date for Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather

Dana White still isn’t ready to guarantee that lightweight champ Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will, indeed, square up with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather (49-0 boxing), but the UFC boss does admit negotiations are far enough along that a targeted date had been selected.

A date that’s now gone.

Following Saturday night’s one-sided boxing clash at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, where Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-1 boxing) took all 12 rounds for a whitewash against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-3-1 boxing), Gennady Golovkin (37-0 boxing) was brought into the ring to announce a Sept. 16 date with the winner.

White attended the fight and told reporters immediately afterward that the Alvarez vs. Golovkin announcement would force a change in plans for a potential Mayweather vs. McGregor boxing contest.

“We just lost our date to ‘Canelo’ and ‘GGG,’ but good, that’s a good fight,” White said. “I’ll be at that one, too.”

While the potential for a Mayweather vs. McGregor superfight has gone from fantasy matchup to what seems like a near certainty in relative short order, White has cautioned all along that there are hurdles to clear.

One of those was a simple calendar block, as McGregor waited to welcome his first child with longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin. With that now done, White said the discussions can continue.

“Floyd wants this fight, and we want to try and make it, so we’ll see what happens,” White said. “Listen, Floyd is one of the best ever in the history of the game, and Conor is one of the best ever in the history of our game, so people want to see it, and I’m always into making fights that people want to see.”

Of course, there are doubters who suggest the bout would be one-sided, with McGregor in over his head stepping into Mayweather’s world. Not surprisingly – and echoing sentiments he previously expressed – White believes his guy may have a better chance than some would let on.

“Anything’s possible when two guys get in and start throwing punches, especially when a guy hits as hard as Conor does, you know?” White said. “That’s what makes it fun. If everybody really believed that it would be that one-sided, nobody would want to see it. That’s the fun of doing a fight like this.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.