Conor McGregor allegedly turned down the opportunity to face Mauricio Ruffy at the White House on June 14, according to the Brazilian fighter himself. Ruffy, who is now expected to fight McGregor's rival Michael Chandler, made the claim during an appearance on the Overdogs Brazil podcast.
Ruffy stated that discussions took place about a potential fight with McGregor in Washington, but the Irishman ultimately decided against it. “Conor McGregor talked about the possibility of a fight, opened up the possibility of fighting. It was discussed, but he’s the one who makes the decisions and he made the decision not to fight,” Ruffy said.
The UFC White House card, unveiled by Dana White, is set to be headlined by a lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The co-main event features Alex Pereira moving up to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt, while Sean O'Malley takes on Aiemann Zahabi. McGregor and Jon Jones had both expressed interest in being part of the historic event but were not included.
McGregor, who has not fought since breaking his leg in a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, had been expected to face Chandler in 2024 but pulled out due to injury. He is now reportedly targeting a return during International Fight Week in July. Meanwhile, Jorge Masvidal has also called out McGregor, labelling him a 'coward' for not accepting a fight.
