Could Conor McGregor’s next fight actually be outside of the UFC?
The former two-division UFC champion wrote Tuesday on social media that he is in “preliminary agreements” with the family of billionaire Mukesh Ambani to box Logan Paul in an exhibition match in India. McGregor added that rumors of a bout with UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria are false — which Topuria corroborated — and he expects to pursue his UFC return following his potential bout with Paul.
The rumors of a bout with topurio are false. I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India.
I have agreed.
I will then seek my return to the Octagon.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 17, 2024
The rumors of a bout with topurio are false. I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India.
I will then seek my return to the Octagon.
McGregor is currently under UFC contract for two more MMA fights. The Irishman has boxed once before, memorably facing Floyd Mayweather in 2017 with the blessing of the UFC. That fight remains the highest-selling pay-per-view of all time. Mayweather defeated McGregor via 10th-round knockout.
Following McGregor’s remarks, both Paul brothers responded social media.
Logan Paul reposted McGregor’s tweet on his Instagram Stories with an eyeball emoji, while Jake Paul wrote that McGregor and the Irishman’s management team “have been desperately trying to get MVP to negotiate for a fight between us.”
Now it all makes sense why Conor Mcgregor & his management team have been desperately trying to get MVP to negotiate for a fight between us.
As we told them them privately & I’m now saying it publicly…the only way we’re willing to explore me vs Conor in a pro boxing / mma fight…
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) December 17, 2024
Now it all makes sense why Conor Mcgregor & his management team have been desperately trying to get MVP to negotiate for a fight between us.
As we told them them privately & I’m now saying it publicly…the only way we’re willing to explore me vs Conor in a pro boxing / mma fight is if Dana White / UFC are at the table directly or make it clear they are ok with discussions.
Conor is washed. Needs the Paul’s. Logan by however he wants.
Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani reported on Tuesday’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” that there is “validity” to both McGregor and Jake Paul’s statements.
“Does it actually happen in 2025? Who knows. Can it happen? We’ll find out. Is there truth to this? Yes, this is a real thing,” Helwani said.
“Now when I say this is a real thing, let’s be very clear — I’m not saying this is a real thing [like] it’s a done deal. I’m saying this isn’t him trolling or pulling this out of his back pocket. It’s a real thing that is being discussed.”
Logan Paul has competed in four organized boxing matches across the professional and amateur ranks, including a non-scored exhibition against Mayweather in 2021. Paul most recently defeated former McGregor teammate Dillon Danis via disqualification in a bizarre contest in October 2023.
McGregor is currently on an extended hiatus from the UFC, having not competed since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, during which he suffered a broken leg.
In November, McGregor was found liable for sexual assaulting Nikita Hand in a civil trial stemming from an incident in a Dublin hotel in 2018. As a result of the verdict, McGregor was ordered to pay Hand €248,603.60 ($261,246.63) in damages, as well as a potential seven-figure sum for Hand’s legal fees.
Multiple retail giants in the United Kingdom and Ireland subsequently cut ties with any products relating to McGregor, and Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey — the alcohol brand founded by the fighter — announced that it no longer intends to use McGregor’s name or likeness in its marketing. The official website for Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey remains offline as of this writing.
Additionally, video game developer IO Interactive distanced itself from McGregor, removing content featuring the former UFC champion from its video game “Hitman: World of Assassination.”
UFC CEO Dana White recently said he expects McGregor to return to the UFC in late 2025.
White also said at UFC 310’s post-fight press conference on Saturday that UFC has “something in the works that you will never f*cking see coming for 2025, that literally started to come together last night.”
