Essentially, the question is: "Would Conor have become a star without Dana?"
It's an interesting topic brought to light by Dana's deposition in the anti-trust lawsuit that the UFC is facing.
Here's part of Dana's statement:
“Four years ago, Conor McGregor was available to everybody,” White said in the deposition (h/t MMAMania). “Bellator, ONE FC, UFC, everybody out there. Do you know who went out- he was- he was 7 and 2, Okay? Guy’s record was 7 and 2. There’s a zillion of them, right? I went out and got Conor McGregor. I saw him, I liked his personality, and I turned him into a star, one of the biggest stars on earth..."
UFC President Dana White takes credit for Conor McGregor's emergence as an MMA superstar | BJPenn.com