The times they are a changing.

A few years ago, Conor McGregor was the unquestioned king of MMA. He was the sport’s biggest star and got away with things with the UFC that no other fight could have. For instance, despite being the featherweight champion, he fought three times outside of the weight class before the UFC stripped him of the title, and he managed to convince the UFC to co-promote an event - his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather - something they almost never do. But when you’re name alone sells millions of pay-per-views, the UFC is willing to tolerate a lot, and these days, that might not be the case anymore.

Over the weekend, UFC President Dana White spoke with The Boston Globe, telling them that though Conor McGregor will be fighting again next year, he’s no longer calling the shots.

“He’ll be back next year,” White said. “[But] Khabib is the man now. Conor isn’t the man anymore, so Khabib gets to sit back and call the shots.”

McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have had a very public animosity towards one another for years now which has only intensified since Khabib throttled McGregor at UFC 229 and then jumped out of the cage to attack McGregor’s entourage. Since then, McGregor has been adamant about wanting a rematch, but unlike the last time he was submitted, (by Nate Diaz), this time McGregor isn’t getting what he wants. As a result, “Notorious” has been sitting on the sidelines waiting, and White says that’s probably where he’ll stay if it’s Khabib or bust. However, if McGregor wants to fight, there are plenty of options for him.

“Next month at Madison Square Garden, we’ve got [Nate] Diaz vs [Jorge] Masvidal, sold out,” White said. “So whoever wins that fight could fight McGregor. We’ve got [Donald] Cowboy Cerrone, we’ve got Justin Gaethje, but what Conor wants right now really is the Khabib rematch. So we’ll see how that whole thing plays out. But if you’re Khabib, you got the Tony Ferguson fight, George St. Pierre wants to fight, and you’ve got the Conor McGregor fight.”

At one point, White had made it seem like there was the potential for Khabib and McGregor to rematch sooner rather than later. However, it seems that logic and meritocracy have won out as White now says the only fight he’s focused on for Khabib is the long-awaited battle with Tony Ferguson, a fight he thinks will happen early next year.

“Tony Ferguson. I’m looking for Khabib vs. Ferguson in March in Vegas,” White said. “That’s what I’m trying to make right now.”

Of course, none of this sat particularly well with McGregor. “Notorious” has been taking veiled shots at the UFC over his layoff, hinting that part of the reason for it is a dispute over economics, but when White questioned his status as “The Man,” McGregor took to Twitter to let him know exactly what he thought of White’s assertion that he was usurped by Khabib.

“Who’s not the man? Your man had that marquee event did he? More like an event in a marquee. A tent in the fucking sand it was. Keep spoofing to your self horse. Jock strap sniffer championships.”

McGregor may have bigger issues than an escalating beef with his boss though. The former two-division UFC champion has been battling a number of legal issues this year and it was recently reported that McGregor is being investigated in a second alleged sexual assault case.

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MUST-READ STORIES

Call out. Dominick Reyes calls out Jon Jones after demolishing Chris Weidman at UFC Boston.

No Contest. Greg Hardy’s win overturned to no contest for illegal use of inhaler, team plans to appeal.

Allegation. Report: Conor McGregor under investigation after second sexual assault allegation.

Retirement. Dana White needs to have a ‘conversation’ with Chris Weidman about his future.

Retirement? Joe Lauzon non-committal on retirement after UFC on ESPN 6 win.

Beef. Dana White responds to Colby Covington: ‘He’s a big mouthed f*cking idiot.’

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VIDEO STEW

UFC Boston post-fight show.

Fighters pick UFC Singapore.

In camp with Darren Till.

PVZ on TMZ.

Weidman getting KOed in cartoon form.

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LISTEN UP

6th Round. Immediate post-fight reaction to UFC Boston.

Severe MMA. Discussing UFC Boston and looking ahead to UFC Singapore.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Khabib and Conor also got into it via Twitter. These two will definitely be fighting again.

Jon Jones, please never stop being you.

Now here’s an idea . . . except Ngannou deserves the next shot.

Hell of a Tweet for the over 30 crowd.

Can’t wait.

Mike Perry being Mike Perry.

Such trash talk.

Presidential candidates starting to really gravitate towards UFC champions.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Juliana Velasquez (9-0) vs. Bruna Ellen (5-2); Bellator Hawaii, Dec. 21.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

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EXIT POLL

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