This year, Dana White and the UFC  team are pushing to make the ambitious White House card a reality. Hyping up the fans, the head honcho has already revealed that two different cards have been built, one waiting on approval from Donald Trump. However, if those lineups feature Ilia Topuria at the top, the UFC boss might have to reconsider him as the headliner. The reason? He may need even bigger stars to outshine the competition.

On May 16, Ronda Rousey’s MMA return against Gina Carano has already become the talk of the town. With Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions backing the event and streaming on Netflix, the card is shaping up to be a massive success. But could it actually topple the UFC’s projected June 14 spectacle? Uncrowned executive producer Eric Jackman believes so, and he wants the UFC brass to act fast by calling Conor McGregor and Jon Jones without wasting time.

Dana White urged to bring UFC stars as Rousey vs Carano threatens UFC White House card

“If I’m Dana White, the moment this news came out this morning, I’m on the phone with Conor McGregor, I’m on the phone with Jon Jones. I cannot afford for my White House card not be the biggest event of the year,” Jackman said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I cannot afford, two months before the White House card, for Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey to be a massive show.

God forbid if they get somebody on the co-main event. If there’s some free agent MMA fighter out there that they lock up in a good matchup and you add that to Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey, there’s almost no way you’re gonna be able to do a bigger event unless you call Conor McGregor, unless you call Jon Jones. So if they are banking on the idea of vs Justin Gaethje being the headliner? That would be the moment I would’ve hopped on the call and call one 0f those boys,” he added.

For a stretch, Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje remained the frontrunner as the potential White House headliner. Fans are eager to see ‘El Matador’ back in action after a year away, and he is also targeting a June return that aligns perfectly with the event. Who wouldn’t like to see two top lightweights headlining the card?

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Moreover, the promotion still holds ‘The Notorious’ as its ultimate trump card. With McGregor recently revealing that he has an opponent and is waiting for a contract, things have finally started to look positive. Securing Jon Jones, however, could be a far tougher task, as he has already cooled expectations despite pleading with the UFC CEO multiple times.

As things stand, Dana White and company clearly have several moving pieces for the historic event. But if the goal is to pull maximum attention and dominate headlines, McGregor remains the safest bet to anchor the main event, having already generated eight straight million-dollar pay-per-view performances for the company. Taking that route would likely push Topuria further down the card, ditching his spot at the very top.

Now, with Jake Paul officially shaking up the market, it appears Dana White may truly need the Irishman’s star power once again. But a former UFC fighter is not convinced that scenario will come to life.

Former UFC fighter believes Conor McGregor won’t come back

Ahead of the White House event, Conor McGregor used his signature bravado to let everyone know that he is actually going to make his grand return at the event. But even with repeated assurances, fans still doubt whether ‘The Notorious’ would face another setback or not.

Well, former UFC fighter Matt Brown seems to be one of those skeptics, as he believes the ex-two-weight champ is not likely to fight again. Furthermore, ‘The Immortal’ also shared his thoughts, claiming that the UFC is merely using Conor’s name to promote the event.

“They don’t have the stars they used to have and Conor (McGregor) is not fighting on it, I don’t give a f— what anybody says, and I don’t care what he says, I don’t care what Dana says, he’s not fighting on it. They’re using him to promote it and using his name to get out there.” Brown told MMA Fighting. “He’s not fighting on that s—, bro. And even if that is signed and a done deal, I’m not gonna believe it until he’s inside the Octagon and a punch is thrown.”

Honestly, you cannot really blame Matt Brown for doubting McGregor’s return. He was supposed to come back at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler in a grudge match. What happened? Bad luck struck and ‘The Notorious’ injured his pinky. So it is pretty normal for the ex-170 lbs fighter to say he will believe it only after seeing it happen.

That said, with the White House event drawing closer, do you think it will overshadow every other card? Let us know in the comments section below.