"Like Conor got too big" - Former UFC stars clash over whether Dana White is holding back the sport's biggest stars

Dana White has been a subject of great interest as of late, with UFC legend Daniel Cormier and fellow ex-fighter Ben Askren discussing the UFC CEO's behavior and how it may impact the promotion's stars. As expected, Cormier and Askren disagree in their evaluations of White.

Naturally, it was Askren who had a less favorable view of how White tries to manage the level of stardom the UFC roster generates. Cormier, on the other hand, felt differently, and their conversation stemmed from whether the promotion was prioritizing the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight as it should.

"I think this is what Dana has been fighting against. I actually don't think it's that important, and I think Dana has made a point, I mean this has been the last 15 years of trying to almost, like, quell stars, trying to not let stars get too big, and like Conor got too big."

It was at this point that Cormier interjected, with the UFC Hall of Famer sharing his own take, which disagreed with Askren's.

"Yeah, but see, I gotta disagree a little bit because I feel that Dana did everything to try push you into the mainstream to make you a star. That's why I was able to do the things that I did because they continuously pushed me in front of people to make me a star, Ben."

Check out Ben Askren and Daniiel Cormier discussing whether Dana White tries to limit stardom in the UFC (1:21):

While McGregor certainly grew so powerful that White couldn't fully control him, with the Irishman now having so many businesses and so much wealth that he doesn't need to fight, this hasn't been the case with every star. The UFC, for example, has subjected Sean O'Malley to a tremendous push.

In fact, 'Sugar' is expected to challenge Merab Dvalishvili in an immediate bantamweight title rematch despite losing to 'The Machine' in fairly decisive fashion in his latest fight.

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Dana White had a major dispute with two of his biggest heavyweight stars

Dana White has never been known to bite his tongue. Thus, it comes as no surprise that he has feuded with the number of fighters that he has. Among them have been UFC heavyweight champions Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, both of whom demanded more money than the UFC CEO was willing to pay.

Moreover, it was money for the pair to fight each other. Ngannou eventually left for the PFL, where he is earning significantly more. Meanwhile, Jones has managed to patch things up with White.