Dana White: "I Think Cowboy's Too Big For Conor"

Dana White spoke to the media in the wake of last night's UFC 246 ceremonial weigh-ins, making some interesting admissions about the event's headliner.

As we all know, White has proven his ability to weave a narrative over the years and as you would expect, with the return of his biggest star now imminent, he made sure to add an extra level of intrigue to what is already a fascinating contest.

Conor McGregor seemed to be in phenomenal shape upon taking to the scales for yesterday's ceremonial weigh-in but even then, the UFC president voiced his concerns about the Irishman and his pursuit of another welterweight victory.

Speaking to the media in the direct aftermath of the weigh-ins, White spoke about McGregor's suitability for the 170lb weight-class.

“Everybody in that division … I think Cowboy’s too big for him. Conor is not a 170 pounder. Conor was 145-pound champ.

“Many people, and probably many standing right in front of me, thought he wouldn’t beat Eddie Alvarez.

“Because of Eddie’s wrestling, he can match him punch for punch, and all the things everybody said going into that fight. He knocked him out in first round easily.

“I don’t love him at 170 and this is something Conor and I fight about. And when I say these things he gets very upset with me."

Dana famously rubbed the former two-weight world champion up the wrong way by very publicly claiming that his rival Jorge Masvidal was too big for him.

In the time since, Conor has certainly had Gamebred in his sights but according to the UFC president, a win over Cerrone at welterweight will be enough to earn another lightweight title shot.

With Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson set to compete for the lightweight belt at UFC 249 in April, the UFC, from what we gather, will look to make the potentially massive rematch between the two sworn enemies sooner rather than later.

“He wants the Khabib fight. If he beats Cowboy tomorrow night he’ll get the rematch with Khabib, if Khabib beats Tony [Ferguson].

“I thought he’d weigh in at 167, I didn’t even think he’d hit 170. He looks good though. Seems to have a lot of energy. It’s good for both these guys. Nobody’s dehydrated, nobody’s exhausted from cutting weight. I expect a really good fight tomorrow at 170.

“If I took away weight cutting, people would still cut weight, you’d have even bigger guys dropping down to different weights. It’s always gonna exist. Every time somebody thinks they can get an advantage they will try.”

Conor will no doubt have his thoughts fixated on the challenges that the veteran Cerrone will present him with on the night but even still, it's not hard to get the sense that Dana White would prefer if his prized asset fought closer to his natural weight from here on out.

Whether the stars align and Khabib vs. McGregor II becomes a reality is anyone's guess, but given the incredible financial performance of the original, it's hard to see the UFC looking past a rematch when there is every chance in the world that it would be an even greater success.