John McCarthy relayed a conversation he had with UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta where he said he never thought he'd have a problem with a fighter that was guaranteed 10 million dollars to fight. In other words, Conor McGregor.
John McCarthy is one of the spiritual founders of the UFC, working for the company as a referee pretty much from the start. As one of the most respected men in the game, he obviously knows some people in high places, and one of them is UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta.
On a recent episode of his "Let's Get It On" podcast, McCarthy talked about a conversation he had with Lorenzo about one Conor McGregor, and his issues with the promotion surrounding UFC 200:
"I talked to Lorenzo Fertitta at UFC 197.