The media tour to hype the upcoming boxing match between UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is in full swing.

The two fighters, who meet on Saturday, August 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena on PPV (pay-per-view) are in the middle of a four city media tour. It kicked off in Los Angeles on Tuesday, then in Toronto, Canada on Wednesday, continued on Thursday in New York, and will end in London, England on Friday.

Of course, you have Mayweather’s team with him, but McGregor is carrying a light crew compared to the boxing world champion. One notable name that is with him is UFC President Dana White. Although White had a hand in making this fight happen, some people are wondering why he is in the middle of everything at these press conferences.

It’s a good question when you consider that this huge fight is not an MMA bout but rather a boxing match and the fact that the bout is not being promoted by the largest MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion in the world. Rather, it’s under the umbrella of Mayweather Promotions and McGregor’s new promotional vehicle.

While speaking to the media on Thursday, White had a simple response to this question. White explained that he was asked to keep McGregor reined in by Mayweather’s exclusive advisor, Al Haymon. Here is what he had to say (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting).

“Al Haymon gave me specific directions, To make sure that Conor McGregor does not touch Floyd Mayweather. I’ll be in the middle.”

White also commented on the curious issue where McGregor’s mic was cut at the first press conference in Los Angeles.

“It was weird how it happened,” White said. “We’re dealing with some things that we’re not used to dealing with. Plus, for me, being the control freak that I am, I have minimal control in all of this. But you have a lot of different people in the mix.”

The UFC President made it clear that while the UFC is getting a paycheck for this fight, the real reason that this fight is happening is because of McGregor.

“This is for Conor,” White said. “Listen, are we gonna make money? We’re absolutely gonna make money. We’re gonna make money, those guys are gonna make money. But at the end of the day, the only reason why I even considered doing this is for Conor.”