Dana White: If Conor McGregor calls me now, the fight with Nate Diaz is back on

UFC President Dana White says UFC featherweight champ Conor McGregor can still change his mind and fight at UFC 200.

But there’s one thing White isn’t budging on: McGregor needs to promote.

White appeared today on FOX Sports’ “The Herd” and “The Jim Rome Show” to address McGregor’s sudden retirement and removal from UFC 200, telling host Colin Cowherd his removal wasn’t about money or ego, but refusal to participate in media obligations for the July 9 pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

White equated McGregor’s alleged decision not to participate in a press tour and commercial for UFC 200 to Terrance Howard, star of the hit TV show “Empire,” not appearing in promotional commercials.

“The one thing nobody is exempt from is promoting their fights,” White told Cowherd. “Muhammed Ali promoted his fights. ’Sugar’ Ray Leonard promoted his fights.

“Mike Tyson, if you think about Mike and how he was when he was the champ, if you go online, you’ll see these things with Mike Tyson, he’s basically in a room for an hour – ‘watch my fight tomorrow live on Comcast.’ Everybody promotes their fight. You have to do it.”

The UFC president said he’s currently looking for a replacement to face Diaz in the event’s headliner and told Rome that two more bouts could be headed to UFC 200.

So what were the obligations that prompted McGregor to walk away from “a lot of money” at UFC 200?

According to White, McGregor’s press duties began this weekend, as the UFC planned a press tour to begin this weekend in Las Vegas and travel to Stockton and New York. A promotional video is also scheduled for three days of filming with a crew from Los Angeles. The out-of-pocket expenses for the industry-leader were $10 million, White told Jim Rome.

But the UFC executive said the demands on McGregor’s time were reasonable given the tour took place three months before the fight and the rest of the participants on the card were required to do the same.

White told Jim Rome Nate Diaz arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday night and had no problems with the historically salty fighter.

“It’s not like I’m asking Conor to do something none of the other fighters are doing,” White told Cowherd. “So Conor, at the end of the day, for whatever reason, he freaked out about this. He’s a very reasonable guy. A smart guy, and he likes money. So this is weird.”

White also shot down a tweet from a reporter who said McGregor’s retirement was spurred by a demand for a new contract and a $10 million payday. On Jim Rome, White called the tweet “a flat-out, disgusting lie” and blasted “Internet hacks” who spread false information.

“Never, ever was this about money,” White told “The Herd.” “Conor makes a lot of money, and Conor is very happy with the money he makes. And Conor, for the most part, is a standup guy. He’s never come back after agreeing on a deal, and then the fight is announced and he comes back for more money. Conor’s not that type of person.”

Despite the turns of event that led one of the UFC’s biggest stars from the promotion’s biggest pay-per-view of the year, White said he wasn’t mad at McGregor.

“He made a decision and made a choice to not want to fight on this card, and that’s how he gets paid, so that’s on him, man,” White said. “That’s not on me. The show will roll on.”

But if McGregor’s retirement sticks, he plans to put the UFC featherweight belt up for grabs at UFC 200, where ex-champs Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar are currently scheduled to vie for the interim belt.

If McGregor changes his mind, White said McGregor can still fight Diaz on July 9. But he should decide soon.

“If he called me after this interview, we could probably still do it,” White told Cowherd. “The thing is, you have to be here to promote your fight, and you have to shoot this commercial. We’re spending, like, $10 million in promotion for UFC 200, and all that money is in motion. You can’t do this. I don’t care who you are, or how big you are. You can’t do this.”

For more on UFC 200, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.