President of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Dana White has ruled out the possibility of Conor McGregor taking on fighting for the welterweight champion Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman.
Irish-born McGregor appeared to turn his attention to the 170lb division with lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov, 31, set to unify his belt against interim champion Justin Gaethje, also 31, in September.
Usman popularly known as the “Nigerian Nightmare” then offered McGregor a shot at his title after talks to face Jorge Masvidal appeared to collapse.
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But promoter White insisted McGregor will not get the chance to become the first three division champ, instead naming Colby Covington, 32, Brit Leon Edwards, 28, and Masvidal, 35, as front runners to face Usman.
“The next title fight for Usman is gonna be one of these guys: It’s gonna be Colby, Masvidal, Edwards,” White told ESPN.
“It’s gonna be one of those guys.
“It’s not gonna be Conor McGregor.”
Masvidal – who beat Nate Diaz for the ‘Baddest Mother F***er’ belt in November – was in line to challenge 33-year-old Usman for the welterweight title this summer.
But the American believes the champion has priced himself out of the fight by demanding too much money, leaving him to turn his attention to a rematch with Diaz, 35.
White, however, is still hoping to work out a deal for Usman to fight Masvidal.
He said: “I would rather see the UFC title be defended than the BMF title.
“Anything’s possible, but those are the fights that make sense right now.”
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