UFC: Dana White says Conor McGregor could return on Fight Island ‘but it kills me’ to lose ‘almost US$20 million gate’

Conor McGregor was training to be ready to go if the Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov match-up fell apart for a fifth time. It did, but it was Justin Gaethje, and not former two-division champion McGregor, who is reaping the benefits.

Gaethje faces Ferguson for the interim lightweight title at UFC 249 on May 9, with McGregor stranded in his native Ireland amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s a similar situation for every non-US based UFC fighter, which has prompted the company to construct a private “Fight Island” so it can skirt visa issues. And that’s where “The Notorious” could be headed next.

“Conor’s been ready to fight for a while,” UFC president Dana White told CBS Sports’ Jim Rome on Tuesday. “He’s in shape. He’s ready to go.

“First of all, ‘Fight Island’ is going to be very important in any of these fights that are happening with people from outside the country.”

The only sticking point White foresees with bringing McGregor to “Fight Island” would be the millions of dollars he would be throwing away.

When Conor McGregor bare-knuckle sparred ‘The Mountain’

“It kills me to do a fight with Conor without fans. Kills me. This guy’s doing almost US$20 million gates,” White told Rome.

McGregor commanded a reported $11 million gate for his return against Donald Cerrone – a 40-second TKO victory in January – at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. It’s the fourth US$10 million-plus gate of his career, with the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight at UFC 229 bringing in US$17 million.

The UFC won’t be making any money from ticket sales for the foreseeable future. Their most recent show, UFC Brasilia in March, was held behind closed doors, and the promotion is finally returning to action this weekend with UFC 249 in Florida.

“It’s not good, but I’ll take anything right now,” White said. “We haven’t had a live event in a few weeks, but it’s not fun without the fans, they’re part of the entire experience.

“Whether you’re going to a fight, a football game, a basketball game, people being there live is as much a part of the appeal as the event itself.

“So it’s gonna be tough but I think lot of things are gonna change from what used to be normal over the next couple of years, and hopefully this doesn’t last long, but who knows.”