Conor McGregor is a no-show but another fighter makes surprise appearance at UFC 300 press conference
Conor McGregor didn’t show up, but the UFC 300 press conference received a surprise appearance from another fighter.
“Notorious” recently hinted that his comeback fight against Michael Chandler would be officially announced during a press event on Thursday evening.
3
UFC CEO Dana White began the show by brushing aside rumors about an impending update on its biggest star, saying, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
Still, fans thought McGregor might make some sort of cameo before UFC 300, which takes place Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — but he didn’t.
Besides White revealing that everyone on the card would be competing to win a $300,000 bonus, the press conference went off without incident.
However, things changed when the UFC boss invited the audience to ask one last question and a familiar face came to the mic with a request.
Welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley, who scored one of the most famous knockouts of all time in October 2020, asked White to let him headline an upcoming show in his hometown.
He said: “You come back to St. Louis, everyone knows the main event is Derrick Lewis.
“Hey, we like Derrick Lewis, but he doesn’t want to fight five rounds, Dana!
“Come on, switch it up and give your boy “New Mansa” his hometown main event. Let’s go!”
3
3
White smiled at the request before eliciting a chorus of laughter from the 26 fighters seated behind him and much of the fans inside the venue.
He replied, “Thanks for coming today, guys. »
White’s brutal snub left Buckley a little humiliated and he let out a laugh before sprinting away from the mic and towards the exit door.
Buckley is coming off a victory against longtime competitor Vicente Luque.
The 29-year-old is on a three-fight winning streak since moving up from middleweight to 170 pounds, and he is now ranked No. 11 in the division reigned by Leon Edwards.
It seems almost certain that Buckley will be able to compete in St. Louis on May 11, but he still has work to do before White picks him to headline against a fan-favorite heavyweight like Lewis.
Sports
