Dana White On Conor McGregor: He Has That ‘It’ Factor’

UFC president Dana White struck it rich when he was able to bring Conor McGregor to the UFC.

Now, several years later, White and the promotion will count on “Notorious” to kick-start 2020 with a bang when he meets Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246.

Despite there being no title on the line, the fight is headlining the first card of the new year for the UFC.

McGregor is returning to action for the first time since 2018 when he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title.

“Conor is one of those guys who’s got this incredible personality, who has that ‘it’ factor that makes him a big star,” White told UFC.com in a recent interview “But most importantly, the kid comes in and puts on unbelievably exciting fights. And everything from him showing up to the arena, to the press conference, to the weigh-ins are all just as entertaining and exciting as the fight.

“He’s got people on both sides—people who hate him and people who love him—but everybody is excited to see him back.”

The bout will take place in the welterweight division, but White has said there could be a quick path back to the title at lightweight if McGregor goes that road – and defeats Cerrone.

Back when he was the UFC featherweight champion, McGregor challenged – and won – the lightweight belt by finishing Eddie Alvarez.

Conor McGregor Vs. Eddie Alvarez Fight Replay

UFC 246: McGregor Vs. Cowboy

MAIN CARD (ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)
Welterweight: Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone

Female Bantamweight: Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington

Heavyweight: Aleksei Olenik vs. Maurice Greene

Strawweight: Claudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso

Lightweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Carlos Diego Ferreria

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2)
Female Flyweight: Roxanne Modafferi vs. Maycee Barber

Featherweight: Andre Fili vs. Sodiq Yusuff

Lightweight: Drew Dober vs. Nasrat Haqparast

Featherweight: Grant Dawson vs. Chas Skelly

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass)
Female Flyweight: Sabina Mazo vs. JJ Aldrich

Flyweight: Tim Elliott vs. Askar Askarov

Bantamweight: Brian Kelleher vs. Ode Osbourne

Light Heavyweight: Aleksa Camur vs. Justin Ledet