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What's the story?
In the build-up to the biggest UFC pay-per-view of the year, UFC 229, the promotion's management team is seemingly pretty disappointed with former UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor due to his lack of media interaction ahead of the show.
In case you didn't know...
Conor McGregor's last fight in the UFC was contested at the historic Madison Square Garden in Brooklyn, New York when the Irishman defeated now-former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez, in order to capture the UFC Lightweight Title for the very first time in his career.
However, due to McGregor's inactivity inside the Octagon, 'The Notorious One' was eventually stripped of his Lightweight Title as well as his Featherweight Title that made him shift his focus towards his boxing career, where he squared off in a dream showdown against veteran Floyd Mayweather - which ultimately ended in a defeat for the Irishman.
McGregor's return to the Octagon was further delayed as he found himself in trouble with the law right after his bus attack at UFC 223 that eventually got him arrested in Brooklyn, New York.
In the meantime, Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov captured the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 223 when he defeated Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision.
The heart of the matter
According to a recent report from Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the UFC management team is apparently pretty frustrated with former Lightweight and Featherweight Champion, Conor McGregor due to his lack of media interaction ahead of UFC 229.
As of right now, it seems like The Notorious One hasn't agreed to any sort of media attention ahead of UFC 229, but there is apparently nothing the UFC could do due to McGregor's immense stardom and what he financially means to the company.
"One of the reasons you haven’t seen much in the way of interviews and such is that McGregor has not agreed to do anything. There are no press conferences scheduled because McGregor at this point hasn’t agreed to them. There is a lot of frustration within the UFC about McGregor’s attitude, but in the end, he’s got the leverage and the ticket sales and secondary market results only give him more leverage.”- Dave Meltzer wrote via MMAMania.com
What's next?
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor are currently slated to square off on the 6th of October at UFC 229, in what will be the former's first Lightweight Title defense since winning the belt at UFC 223.
