Conor McGregor has fired back at Dana White, saying the UFC boss broke the 'man code' first, and even accused White of lying

• Conor McGregor has responded to Dana White's recent accusation that the Irishman broke a "man code" by leaking their private messages online.
• It is "one of the dirtiest things you can do," White said. Hours later, McGregor, 32, said that it is White who broke a code first and accused the UFC president of lying.
• McGregor took issue with White saying McGregor had declined a fight, and that the promoter had "no idea" there was a bout agreement in place regarding a huge boxing match between McGregor and Manny Pacquiao.
• "The legal letters are there," McGregor said. "Stop lying."

Conor McGregor has fired back at Dana White, saying the UFC boss broke the "man code" first, and even accused White of lying in an angry response on Twitter.

White had previously fumed at the UFC's former two-weight champion for leaking their private Instagram messages online.

McGregor this week posted screenshots of communications he'd had with White earlier in the year, when he was proposing a main event match against the veteran fighter Diego Sanchez in Los Angeles.

White told McGregor that there were no upcoming LA events in the UFC's schedule. He joked that if the company booked a match involving McGregor — one of the top competitors in MMA — against Sanchez, who is unranked and 39, then they should lose their license to promote combat sports.

While McGregor hasn't fought since, Sanchez competed — and lost — during Saturday's behind-closed-doors UFC 253 event on Fight Island, a quarantined area of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

"I am still interested in a fight with you somewhere down the line Diego Sanchez," McGregor wrote on Twitter.

"A true warrior and pioneer of this sport. It would be my honor! Some journalists and promoters and their lack of respect for what the fighters put into this game make me sick. Things must change!"

—Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 27, 2020

Hours later, he added another message.

This time, he appeared to be posting a response to White's comments about a "man code."

McGregor said: "Code was broke when you lied about me turning down fights, mate. I said [I would fight] Justin in May and you went and said I did not want to fight. It's not about Diego. Diego was a filler to get more fights in."

At the UFC 253 media event, White also said he had "no idea" about a bout agreement involving McGregor and a massively lucrative boxing match against the marquee fighter Manny Pacquiao.

"Also, you have been involved in Manny talks," McGregor said. "The legal letters are there. Stop lying."

—Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 27, 2020

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