We may not see Conor McGregor in the UFC Octagon ever again, at least that is what many fans think. After all, the Irishman has been on the sidelines for the past three years. And despite his insistence to the contrary, he doesn’t look ready to come back. Add to that his recent decision to box Logan Paul in an exhibition, and it’s not hard to see why McGregor fans are pessimistic about his UFC comeback. This is why podcaster and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub’s views on the topic would be appreciated by McGregor’s fans.

“You’re going get three fights out of Conor. You get both Paul brothers and one legit UFC fight as well,” Schaub said on his Extra Thiccc podcast. This made his co-host ask him: “But that’s assuming that this sparring match [against Logan] constitutes a fight under his UFC contract.”

Schaub clarified and said, “It doesn’t! It’s not mixed martial arts, this would be subcontracted. This is outside of his current contract. This I guarantee you isn’t even in his contract.”

McGregor, of course, still has two fights left on his UFC contract. But the podcaster felt that Dana White and Co. could propose a scheme to count the Logan Paul exhibition in lieu of the Dubliner’s UFC fights. If McGregor pays the promotion dearly for it, that is.

“Unless, to your point, the UFC goes ‘yeah you can fight them but we get half of it,’ or just, you know, or they get a percentage and it counts as one fight. So the UFC goes ‘yeah it counts, go ahead. But we get whatever, 20%.’ He’s like ‘All right 250 mil, you got it.’ He counts his one fight, then he has one fight in the UFC, then he fights Jake,” Schaub added. But then again, contractual obligations under the UFC have always been harsh.

Conor McGregor’s contract dilemma

Because of his current contract, Conor McGregor cannot do anything outside the UFC without the promotion’s blessings. Since both ‘Mystic Mac’ and Logan are signed to TKO Holdings-owned companies, the UFC may have been easier to get on board. However, the fact remains- as long as McGregor is under the UFC’s yoke, he is not a free man. And therefore cannot use his massive star power to make money outside the promotion.

After all, the biggest name in celebrity boxing is still Jake Paul- whom Dana White absolutely detests. Not to mention the Irishman is part owner of the BKFC, and could easily get paid comparably or even more than the UFC to fight there. Not to mention a McGregor fight at the bare-knuckle promotion would massively increase the share prices of the company, which would also benefit ‘Mystic Mac’ financially.

Schaub, of course, thinks that McGregor may have to fight just once in the UFC. But what if the Irishman never plans to return to the UFC? What could he do then? Well, White is a businessman and could be convinced by McGregor to let him go for a healthy dollar amount.

Otherwise, McGregor will have to fight at least once in the UFC, which looks increasingly unlikely. What do you think about Brendan Schaub’s take on the reported clash? Tell us in the comment section below!