For years, every major Conor McGregor announcement has managed to dominate headlines regardless of the occasion. But this time around, Dana White came under fire after revealing the Irishman’s comeback during Jake Paul’s inaugural MVP MMA event on May 16, and more precisely during Francis Ngannou’s walkout for his Philipe Lins bout on the main card. Following the announcement, many directed their anger towards the UFC CEO for potentially trying to overshadow Paul’s event. However, according to Dana White, the criticism simply makes no sense.

“Not a coincidence,” White said in an interview with Fred Talks Fighting. “I had a f—-ng fight here that night. Anybody who thinks that I gave a s–t what was going on anywhere else is out of their f—-ng minds. Just had a check, Dan, just had a check. Awesome. We announced it as soon as we got it done, and we were in the middle of our event, yeah. Give a f— what those guys are doing, you kidding me?”

While it’s true that the announcement came during the main card of the MVP MMA event, it’s also true that the UFC CEO’s Instagram Live session took place during their own UFC Vegas 117 broadcast, which went head-to-head with MVP’s inaugural spectacle.

Despite this, after the announcement, Most Valuable Promotions brass went scorched earth on White. Unsurprisingly, Jake Paul was among the first to fire shots at the UFC over the timing, mocking the promotion for allegedly trying to “piggyback” off MVP’s MMA event.

“The cokehead is back,” Paul stated. “Yeah, that’s cool, bro. That’s cool. Drop it during our event, [it] doesn’t matter. That just shows how pressed they are. Little, insecure boys [are] trying to piggyback off our event and try to put some news over top of us. It’s not gonna work, buddy.”

Even Ronda Rousey, who has heavily criticized the UFC during the build-up to her Gina Carano fight, called the move “catty.” She further suggested that Dana White’s announcement of the McGregor fight during the event proved he sees MVP as a legitimate threat to the UFC.

After them, Ariel Helwani also chimed in and alleged that the UFC deliberately waited for Francis Ngannou’s walkout, dismissing any possibility of it being a coincidence.

Now, as White faces backlash, ‘Predator’ has also shared his perspective on the UFC 329 fight reveal taking place during his walkout.

Francis Ngannou reacts as Dana White reveals Conor McGregor’s return

Following the UFC head honcho’s unveiling of their biggest star’s return, the media asked Francis Ngannou about his thoughts on McGregor’s comeback. Despite the ongoing tension surrounding the announcement, the former UFC heavyweight champ appeared largely dismissive of it and emphasized that it doesn’t affect him.

“And what the f— do I have to do with that?” Ngannou said at the MVP 1 post-fight presser. “So I should stop my walkout and look at what’s going on with [Dana White]? I don’t care, bro. Let’s move on. Life goes on, I’m doing my stuff here. I’m doing well. I have no problem. Everybody can do whatever they want.”

That was definitely a blunt yet logical response from Francis Ngannou. However, while Dana White announcing the UFC 329 card may have shifted some viewers, it seems the reveal didn’t ultimately harm the MVP event overall. Even with Conor McGregor’s return generating massive buzz, Jake Paul’s event reportedly drew over 17 million viewers on Netflix, while it still failed to match the UFC’s gate record at the Intuit Dome.

With the UFC announcing Conor McGregor’s return and the White House card inching closer, the promotion appears to be gearing up for a massive 2026 under the Paramount+ banner. But with Francis Ngannou and several other stars attached to MVP, the promotion will also look to provide serious competition.