Dana White: Conor McGregor wants BMF belt from Jorge Masvidal

Conor McGregor has high ambitions for 2020, and that could potentially include taking Jorge Masvidal’s “BMF” belt, according to Dana White.

During an interview with ESPN, UFC president Dana White revealed that Conor McGregor plans to fight three times in 2020. First up on the agenda is the Irish superstar’s Octagon return against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

After his January return against Cerrone, White revealed McGregor plans to vindicate his loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov in a rematch. However, Nurmagomedov is scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson in April and believes retirement is imminent.

If the fight doesn’t come to fruition, McGregor has his sights set on a new challenge: Jorge Masvidal and the BMF belt.

“Conor has this idea, too, that if things don’t go his way and he [doesn’t] get the fight [with Khabib], he’ll have had a 170 fight in his pocket again and [is] considering a [Jorge] Masvidal fight,” said White (transcript via MMA Fighting).

After Nate Diaz called out “Gamebred” following his UFC 241 victory against Anthony Pettis, the pair collided in the main event of UFC 244 for the unprecedented BMF belt. The fight finished at the end of round three by doctor’s stoppage, resulting in Masvidal claiming the first and only BMF title. McGregor wants to pinch the belt from the grasp of Gamebred, but White isn’t convinced that it’s a good idea.

“I think everybody knows what I think about it. I think it’s a bad idea.

“Conor gets pissed off when I say it’s a bad idea, and he’s like, ‘You think I can’t beat Masvidal?’ I’m not saying you can’t beat Masvidal. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day, but why? Why go after that fight when you could possibly just wait?

“Conor wants that belt from Masvidal. I did it as a one-off [UFC 244] and like I said, it was fun. It was awesome. We’ll see what happens.”

Despite his disagreement with some of McGregor’s choices, White credits the Irish superstar for his willingness to fight anybody.

“This is the reason Conor McGregor is so intriguing and why so many fans love to watch him fight,” White said.

“And you’ve got to love the fact that a guy is willing to fight anybody.”

“Believe me, I’ve said this a million times, I’ll say it again, I’ve been in the trenches and when we’re standing the living room and fights pull out, Conor McGregor will fight anybody.”

Do you think Conor McGregor will fight Jorge Masvidal in the new year?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/31/2019.