Dana White weighed in on Conor McGregor's face-off with Mike Perry at BKFC 41 as the UFC boss admitted he "wasn't bothered" by it.
After missing nearly two years of UFC action due to a broken leg, McGregor will make his return this year against Michael Chandler following the filming of the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter.
The Irishman has attended a number of high-profile events during his time away from the octagon, including Gervonta Davis' victory over Ryan Garcia and Perry and Luke Rockhold's bare-knuckle boxing fight.
Perry picked up a victory with McGregor watching on from ringside, where he was spotted drinking from a bottle of his Proper Twelve whiskey. And the UFC superstar was called into the ring after Perry's win where he shook hands with the American before coming face-to-face as if the pair were building up to a fight.
After the event, McGregor teased a potential appearance in the sport on social media but it seems unlikely in the near future given his lucrative deal with the UFC. Despite his links away from the promotion, UFC president White believes that McGregor was just having fun and enjoying the occasion.
“I think Conor went out and was having fun and got caught up in the moment," White told Barstool Sports when discussing McGregor's face-off with ex-UFC star Perry. "The dude called him into the ring. You know, he did it. I also saw him pounding a bottle of Proper (No.) Twelve. I’m sure that had something to do with it, too.
“Listen, man. At the end of the day, Conor has done a lot here. He’s made a lot of money. The guy is out having fun and it’s all good. Not at all (was I bothered). Not even a little bit."
McGregor has experience in traditional boxing having stepped in the ring in a huge event with legend Floyd Mayweather in 2017 which he came off second best. However he has always teased a potential return to boxing given his background in the sport, and his previous appearance.
Perry left the sold-out crowd stunned after making a call to the former two-weight UFC champion, but believes that McGregor should explore his options if he is to progress beyond Chandler. He told TMZ Sports: "I think a fight looks very entertaining. The build-up. The s*** talk. "We've both been professionals in this business a long time, everyone knows who he is.
"Big business marketing standpoint from that, I've got some big, big people pushing behind me who would want to make something like this happen. They believe in me and my attributes and my capabilities in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing. You know he's still in with the UFC. Let's hope he beats Michael Chandler, then we can really make the biggest fight date in the world, Platinum Mike Perry versus The Notorious Conor McGregor."
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