Dana White: Conor McGregor side done, working on Floyd Mayweather

ByESPN.COM NEWS SERVICES
May 18, 2017, 12:25 AM

— -- UFC president Dana White chose an unorthodox place to announce that one side of the Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather fight has been solidified.?

Appearing on TNT's postgame wrap-up of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night, White was asked by Shaquille O'Neal whether the fight will happen.

"The McGregor side is done," White said. "I'm starting to work on the Mayweather side now.

"I'm not saying the fight will happen, but I've got one side done, now it's time to work on the other. If we can come to a deal with [Mayweather's adviser Al] Haymon and Mayweather, the fight's gonna happen."

White added the much-anticipated bout would be "straight-up boxing."

Earlier Wednesday, Mayweather said that he was awaiting information from White and McGregor.

"I'm not here to throw anybody under the bus, [and] I can't sit here and say that they are waiting on us," Mayweather said in London. "I'm not saying that. And we're not waiting on them.

"I have a team for [negotiating], but as soon as their side [the UFC] communicates with our side, then the fight will happen."

Over the weekend, White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that his plan was to lock in McGregor by this past Sunday and then move to firm up Mayweather.

"We're right there to get this deal done, we've just got to get the deal done," White told ESPN on Saturday. "I would like to get it done this Sunday and start negotiating with Team Mayweather, and if that deal can get done then we'll get it done, and if it can't, I need to move on."

While there have been no firm deadlines established for the fight to come together, White said McGregor wants to fight twice this year.

"He wants to fight twice this year and one of those fights to be Floyd, if possible," White previously told ESPN.

Mayweather on Wednesday said he only has designs on McGregor.

"There's only one fight that makes business sense," Mayweather said. "I came out of retirement because I'm a businessman and I want to give the world what they want to see.

"McGregor's a fighter. I'm a fighter. This is what the fight fans and MMA fans want to see."