Is Conor McGregor done with the UFC? The Irish MMA icon has been the talk of the MMA sphere ever since his fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 fell through due to a foot injury suffered by McGregor. Now, the speculation has reached a fever pitch regarding McGregor’s long-awaited return to the cage as he’s been out of action since 2021 when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

‘The Notorious’ has been actively sharing training updates on social media. He recently also asked UFC CEO Dana White to set up a fight for him in December. But amidst all this, Conor McGregor has also been sharing cryptic messages and hashtags asking for his ‘freedom’. So, does this mean he’s looking to get out of his contract? Will he pursue a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather once again? Let’s dive into the situation and explore the open possibilities for arguably the most famous man in the world of mixed martial arts!

Conor McGregor asks Dana White to be ‘free’ from UFC contract

Earlier this year, when the MMA world was buzzing with excitement about Conor McGregor’s UFC 303 clash against Michael Chandler, the Irishman had indicated that he was looking to renegotiate his contract with the promotion. He’d stated on a Duelbits live chat that he’s looking to fight 3 times in 2024, but his contract would need adjusting for that to become a reality.

McGregor said, “I have two fights left on my UFC contract. We’re currently in negotiation stage with the UFC. Let’s see what happens. Let’s see what takes place.” However, with the toe injury derailing the Chandler fight, McGregor has now seemingly switched up his demands.

In a recent cryptic post on X, ‘The Notorious’ stated, “When I get free.” This has left the MMA sphere scratching their heads, trying to decipher what his intentions are behind the post. However, that is just another ‘breadcrumb’ on the trail of hints that the Irishman has been leaving online. In multiple posts on X and Instagram, McGregor has been using “#FreetheMac”.

This has now made the situation even more intriguing as in a recent conversation with SportsNet, UFC boss Dana White was firm in his stance on McGregor fighting in 2024. White had shared that, “As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year. Conor’s saying he wants to fight, he wants to fight in December. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Even Michael Chandler, who’s been waiting for the McGregor fight since their time as coaches on TUF 31 was open to the idea of fighting the Irishman in December. With McGregor hinting at wanting to be free from the chains of the UFC, it remains to be seen if their bout materializes at the end of the year. Because if the UFC boss does give in to the calls to ‘FreetheMac’, an exhibition boxing match against Floyd Mayweather may become a reality for Conor McGregor!

Floyd Mayweather turns down exhibition bout offer against Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

Conor McGregor was Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s last opponent as a professional. In the historic bout in 2017, Mayweather improved his record to 50-0 by stopping the Irishman via TKO in the 10th round. The fight drew a head-spinning amount of viewers securing 4.3 million PPV buys as reported by Brian Campbell of CBS Sports!

Since then, Mayweather has been taking on exhibition fights all over the world against names like Tenshin Nasukawa, Logan Paul, Mikuru Asakura, and more. He recently faced off against John Gotti III in Mexico after their previous exhibition match in 2023 was stopped by the referee in the sixth round, which led to an all-out brawl between both boxer’s teams.  

Before the ‘rematch’ against Gotti, Mayweather had seemingly shown an interest in taking on the legendary Mexican boxer, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. in another exhibition bout. After the fight against Gotti ended, ‘Money’ had a change of heart. Showing his respect for the 62-year-old legend, Mayweather stated, “He’s older now and if I do an exhibition with him, it’s not going to look good for me. He’s one of the legends that I look up to and he paved the way for me.”

So, with Mayweather now free and looking for an opponent, it does add some weight to Conor McGregor’s demands for freedom. After all, their first fight was the second-highest PPV buy in boxing history only dwarfed by Mayweather vs. Pacquiao!

Mayweather vs. McGregor 2 in the future?

With all that being said, is it likely that we get to see Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather 2 sometime soon? It’s hard to tell, but McGregor’s demands for freedom seem to indicate that he is looking for glory beyond the confines of the Octagon.

McGregor is currently 36 years old and hasn’t won a fight in the UFC since he finished Donald Cerrone via TKO at UFC 246 in 2020. He also holds the record for two of the highest live gates in UFC history with UFC 229 and UFC 205 both making over $17 million dollars. So, the UFC and Dana White might not be too keen on the calls of ‘FreetheMac’ with two fights still remaining on his contract.

However, his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. reportedly netted him a purse of around $130 million and Mayweather walked away with a reported $280 million, so it does make sense why he’d be interested in trying to exit the UFC. But McGregor’s path to freedom isn’t as simple as walking away. With two fights still on his UFC contract, he may have to step back into the Octagon before he can break free and pursue other ventures.

Will he fight out his contract and then dive into the boxing world? Or could there be a surprise twist that allows Conor McGregor to escape the UFC’s grasp sooner? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!