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Dana White Reacts to Devastating Conor McGregor Injury: "We're Assuming Blown ACL"

The Ariel Helwani Show · 12 July 2026 · 24m · 2 Egleze moments
Dana White Reacts to Devastating Conor McGregor Injury: "We're Assuming Blown ACL" ▶

What happened in this episode?

UFC President Dana White held a post-fight press conference following a record-breaking but controversial fight card that drew 20,076 fans and generated a $26.4 million gate, the highest in UFC history. The event was overshadowed by Conor McGregor's suspected ACL tear in the main event against Max Holloway, ending McGregor's highly anticipated comeback after a 5-year layoff. White confirmed that medical staff believe McGregor suffered a blown ACL and acknowledged that the injury raises serious questions about the fighter's future, though he declined to discuss potential retirement or trilogy fight scenarios until more information emerges. The co-main event saw Paddy Pimblett deliver what White called an incredible performance against Saint Denis, with Pimblett gaining 2 million social media followers after his previous loss and entering the arena with world champion energy. White praised Olympic gold medalist Gable Stevenson's UFC debut, noting the wrestler looked like a complete mixed martial artist rather than a typical wrestler who stinks the place up. In a candid moment, White harshly criticized his production team for mistakenly identifying boxer Shakur Stevenson as an Oklahoma City NBA player during the broadcast, calling UFC the worst organization ever at handling celebrity graphics despite 25 years in business. White also addressed his expanding boxing promotion Zuffa Boxing, cryptically stating he knows the location for the anticipated Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua fight, contradicting promoter Turki Alalshikh's recent statements that the venue hasn't been decided. Throughout the press conference, White repeatedly deflected questions about future matchmaking, stating he doesn't like discussing fights on fight night and that his team would reconvene on Tuesday to plan next steps.

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Programme
The Ariel Helwani Show
Published
12 July 2026
Duration
24m
Original episode
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Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.

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2 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected
01
Combat & UFC

Dana White confirms Conor McGregor suspected ACL tear ended main event fight

at 0:43 · Attributed speaker claim
I was expecting at least a one-round war, or, you know, who knew what Conor was capable of as far as cardio or whatever else after a 5-year layoff. And well, there you go. I mean, we're assuming blown ACL. I'm no doctor, but that's what I figured when I saw it, and doctors think the same thing too.

UFC President Dana White revealed that Conor McGregor likely suffered a blown ACL during the main event, ending what was anticipated to be a major comeback fight after a 5-year layoff. White acknowledged the injury challenge, stating that 5 years off in the sport is rough, and expressed uncertainty about McGregor's future, noting he hasn't ruled out retirement discussions. The fight card achieved a record $26.4 million gate with over 20,000 in attendance.

02
Combat & UFC

UFC President admits organization worst ever at celebrity graphics after Shakur Stevenson mistake

at 14:19 · Attributed speaker claim
I just paid Shakur Stevenstein a shitload of money, and for some reason we can't figure this celebrity shit out. They put him up as a fucking OKC NBA player. Are you fucking kidding me? We are the absolute worst to ever do the celebrity thing.

Dana White openly criticized his production team for mistakenly identifying boxer Shakur Stevenson as an Oklahoma City NBA player during the broadcast, calling UFC the worst organization at handling celebrity graphics. The admission came during a post-fight press conference where White detailed his frustration with the repeated production failures despite 25 years in business. The error occurred at a major event that drew over 20,000 fans and generated a record $26.4 million gate.