Fact check: Did Conor McGregor decline White House Fight offer against Mauricio Ruffy?

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor reportedly turned down an opportunity to fight rising Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy at a historic UFC event scheduled to take place at the White House on June 14. The claim was made by Ruffy during a recent podcast interview. According to the Brazilian fighter, discussions about a possible matchup had taken place earlier, but McGregor ultimately decided not to move forward with the bout.

The card was officially revealed by UFC president Dana White and quickly generated huge excitement among MMA fans. The event will be headlined by a lightweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. Plans to stage the event were first announced by former US President Donald Trump, who proposed holding a UFC event on the South Lawn of the White House. Many top fighters, including McGregor and Jon Jones, publicly showed interest in participating in the historic card.

Mauricio Ruffy says Conor McGregor chose not to accept the fight

Mauricio Ruffy recently spoke about the situation during an appearance on the Overdogs Brazil podcast with former UFC champion Glover Teixeira. The Brazilian explained that the idea of a fight with McGregor had been discussed within the promotion. However, he suggested that the final call rested with the Irish superstar, who decided not to accept the matchup.

Ruffy said the possibility of fighting McGregor had been explored by the promotion. However, he explained that the Irish fighter had the final say regarding the matchup and ultimately chose not to go ahead with it. Because of that decision, Ruffy admitted he did not strongly expect the fight to happen.

The 29-year-old lightweight has repeatedly called for a bout against McGregor. After scoring an impressive knockout victory over Rafael Fiziev last month, he again challenged the former champion. Ruffy stated that UFC executives had seen his fighting style and abilities, and he believed a fight against McGregor or Paddy Pimblett would be entertaining for fans.

McGregor has not competed since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg during his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. Since then, fans have been waiting for his return to the octagon. The Irish fighter had earlier been scheduled to face Michael Chandler after both served as rival coaches on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter. However, the fight was cancelled after McGregor withdrew due to injury.

Despite missing the White House card, McGregor is still planning to return later this year. He recently indicated that a comeback could happen during International Fight Week.






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