Dana White compares Conor McGregor to Muhammad Ali : "He's on his level..."
The UFC CEO has matched both in the "mental war" against his rivals.
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As uncertainty remains over whether Conor McGregor (22-6) will return at UFC 303 on June 29, Dana White , the CEO of the MMA company, has stated that McGregor is on the same level as Muhammad Ali , one of the greatest athletes in history. It is important to clarify that White has not compared the general greatness of both, but rather a specific aspect.
In particular, White was referring to "mental warfare." Currently, it is debated whether the doubts about McGregor 's physical condition are real or a psychological tactic that 'The Notorious' is using. Ali was also famous for his ability to mentally dominate his rivals outside of the ring.
"I'll tell you this, and I don't like to compare people to Muhammad Ali because to me he is the greatest. I'm not just talking about his fight, but what he accomplished as a human being. But, I don't care what they say "Ali and Conor are on the same level when it comes to mental warfare. They are the two best of all time in this regard," said Dana White .
Ali and Conor are on the same level when it comes to mental warfare
White added: "If you look back at Ali and see what he did to George Foreman in Africa, and how he handled Joe Frazier throughout his career, you'll see that Joe Frazier hated Muhammad Ali so much. Ali would show up on his turf and do of everything, he predicted rounds, created incredible poems and sayings before fights. Then you look at Conor McGregor , who also predicted rounds and used psychological tactics to get into his opponents' heads, he got them into his game, he embarrassed them and they got into his game. "He was superior in every way. He's literally on Ali 's level when it comes to mental warfare."
Dana White concluded by pointing out how McGregor , like Ali , is an expert at mentally manipulating his rivals, making them play on his terms and dominating them both outside and inside the octagon.