Preparations for the UFC event at the White House on June 14 are in full swing, but one of President Trump's big allies in the UFC will be absent from the event.
Conor McGregor, the Irish UFC star and an ardent follower of Trump, is on the verge of making a comeback in the UFC after a hiatus.
However, instead of the White House card, the 37-year-old picked the UFC 329 at the International Fight Week in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 11.
Auddie Attar, McGregor's manager, has provided more insight on MMA Junkie into what influenced the Irish fighter's decision.
According to Attar, there were serious talks between McGregor and the UFC over inserting the former into the White House card, but they reportedly felt that since White House offers a small arena, the attendance will be low, and thus the lower revenue coming from it will make it financially untenable for the UFC to put McGregor- one of their biggest crowd-pullers, in the White House card.
Additionally, not only will the International Fight Week have more attendees, but it will also be viewed by more people on the traditional pay-per-view model that the UFC broadcasts follow.
And thus, the decision for McGregor to skip the White House event was financial - both from the UFC and McGregor's camp.
