Dana White said Conor McGregor should sit tight and wait for the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje this autumn. White had previously entertained the idea of putting McGregor on his upcoming bouts on Fight Island – despite estimating he would lose “US$20 million” in gates . However, the UFC president believes the “smart” move would be to wait for both the lightweight title fight and coronavirus pandemic to play out. Gaethje’s impressive fifth-round TKO over Tony Ferguson last month guaranteed him a title shot with undefeated champion Khabib this September, said White after UFC 249 on May 9 in Florida. Meanwhile, McGregor has entertained call outs from fighters across the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions. “The best thing for him - I’m not saying this is gonna happen – but in my opinion he lets this Gaethje vs Khabib fight play out then he fights the winner,” White said on Eddie Hearn and Tony Bellew’s Talk the Talk show. “I think that's the smartest move for him. But you know him. Maybe he wants to fight before that, and if he does, maybe we can figure something out. But I think that’s the move for him right now.” McGregor (22-4), who last fought in a first-round TKO of Donald Cerrone in January , had at the top of the year expressed his desire to fight at least “three times” in 2020. While promoting the Irishman would certainly be a draw for fans during Covid-19, White is much more interested in an unaffected pay-per-view scenario he said. “These guys that become such big stars become partners in selling the pay-per-views ... from the Chuck Liddells to the Anderson Silvas, the Georges St-Pierres, the Jon Jones, the Ronda Rouseys, they all bring something different,” White said. “The difference between all of them and Conor McGregor is that he took us global. He opened up territories that were really not that interested before. He’s the first guy that truly was a global star. “The key to the relationship to these guys ... when you become a world champion and a star, you’re a partner.”