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UFC 200: Conor McGregor vs. Dana White?

Ever since Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz II was announced as its main event, UFC 200 has turned into a complete media circus and fans are eating it up.

UFC President, Dana White initially came under heavy criticism after announcing that McGregor (19-3) and Diaz (20-10) would duke it out for the second time. Is it surprising that McGregor, arguably the biggest star in the UFC, would be in the main event of one of the biggest fight cards of all time? No. However, many fans expected a Featherweight title shot to go to #2 ranked Frankie Edgar (19-4-1) who is not only riding a 5-fight win streak, but has yet to face "The Notorious One".

As the Featherweight Champion, many argue that it is McGregor's responsibility to defend his belt against top Featherweight contenders like Edgar. Instead the UFC decided to schedule a Catchweight bout between McGregor and Diaz at 170 pounds for the second time.

It is a fight that makes little sense to fans, not only because the two fight in different weight classes (McGregor in Featherweight and Diaz in Lightweight), but also because their first fight was not necessarily competitive. It ended with Diaz submitting McGregor in the second round via rear-naked choke.

So why did the UFC decide to schedule this fight? Because McGregor demanded it. McGregor was determined to avenge his sole loss in the UFC and once it was officially on the card, many accused the UFC President of favoritism.

Regardless, White and the UFC decided to continue with the Catchweight bout. Eventually the dust settled and everything seemed to be going smoothly.

That was until McGregor released a statement via twitter that set the internet on fire.

McGregor's statement has since become the most retweeted Tweet by any athlete in 2015 (over 170,000 retweets as of today). Following the mass confusion, the UFC announced that McGregor was pulled from UFC 200 the very next day.

White later clarified that the controversy surrounding McGregor was due to the champion's refusal to fulfill promotional obligations. Although the Featherweight Champion was absent during the UFC 200 Press Conference, questions about McGregor were still being thrown at Dana White.

"It's part of the job, it's what we do here," White said, according to Fox Sports. "We gave Conor every opportunity to be here, too. We get criticized for bending too much for Conor and we do. Conor's a guy who has stepped up and fought big fights on short notice and I respect Conor very much as a fighter. You have to show up and do this stuff."

It was a simple enough answer. Fighters routinely participate in pre-fight promotion, including press conferences, commercials, and interviews. Conor McGregor is a fighter that has built his legacy on a foundation of uncontested trash-talk as well as outstanding fighting skills. Fans will line up around the block to see him inside and outside of the octagon.

However, McGregor who has been training for UFC 200 in Iceland made it clear that his sole focus would be on his training, and was quick to announce that he was not in fact retiring. McGregor released a lengthy statement via Facebook, giving his side of the story and ultimately putting media pressure back on White and the UFC. Link Here.

"I flew an entire team to Portugal and to Iceland to make my adjustments in preparation and fix my errors I made with the weight and the cardio prep," McGregor writes. "With the right adjustments and the right focus, I will finish what I started in that last fight. I will not do this if I am back on the road handing out flyers again."

Following a loss, it is understandable that a fighter will want to train as much as possible in preparation for a rematch. McGregor is ultimately relying on fans to drive him back onto UFC 200. After all, the Dana White and the UFC have already bent the rules for McGregor in the past and have yet to find Diaz a new opponent.

Adding to the drama, McGregor posted that he had been put back on UFC 200 late last night.

However, White wasted no time in shutting down any rumors. This morning, according to TMZ , White had this to say.

"It's not true. We haven't talked to Conor or his manager since the press conference. I don't know why he would tweet that." Hammering the last nail in the coffin, White added, "I don't know how many more times I can say the fight is off or how many more press conferences I can have saying the fight is off for people to believe it's off."

As relentless as McGregor's media tactics are, it appears that White and the UFC are not budging on their decision. Ironically, this media power struggle between McGregor and White has generated as much attention as any other promotional tool would. It is unsure how "The Notorious One" will respond to White's latest statement, but we can't wait to see what will happen next.

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