Why hasn’t Conor McGregor been scheduled for a fight yet? Is there more to the story than it appears? The Irishman has now been out of action since his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. First, his return was impacted due to the brutal nature of his leg fracture. Things looked hopeful when he was scheduled to face Michael Chandler after the conclusion of TUF 31 in 2023. But as fate would have it, USADA complications threw a wrench in those plans, causing further delays.

When it looked like the stars had finally aligned and UFC 303 would feature ‘The Notorious’ finally stepping back into the cage, a broken toe dashed those dreams as well. Now, the fans are left wondering if the UFC and Dana White are trying to leverage McGregor’s contract as a way to secure a new broadcast rights deal. Jake Paul seems to think so, but let’s take a look at the situation and all the threads it is wrapped up in.

Conor McGregor’s UFC contract situation

According to multiple sources, Conor McGregor still has 2-fights left on his UFC contract. In a ‘Duelbits’ live chat earlier this year, the Irish MMA icon had indicated that he wanted 3-fights in 2024. He had indicated that, “Please God, three bouts. June 29, Sept. 5, and something tasty in December, end of year. I have two fights left on my UFC contract. We’re currently in negotiation stage with the UFC. Let’s see what happens.”

The June 29 bout, while confirmed, fell through due to the injury and the December date is also highly unlikely. Why? Well according to Dana White in a recent interview with SportsNet, “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.”

In response to the UFC boss’s statement, McGregor had taken to social media and demanded a December date and simply stated that he was ready to go at the end of the year. His opponent, Michael Chandler, who has also been out of action since 2022, affirmed that he’d be open for the December re-scheduling too.

With McGregor pushing for a December fight and UFC’s silence on the matter, fans are left wondering if we’ll see ‘The Notorious’ back in the Octagon or if there’s more going on behind the scenes. Jake Paul thinks so. And he has hinted that Conor McGregor’s situation might be tied to something much bigger than a scheduling conflict!

What did Jake Paul say about ‘The Notorious’?

As UFC’s current contract with ESPN approaches its expiration in 2025, the promotion is gearing up for negotiations that could reshape its broadcast landscape. This is why Conor McGregor isn’t being lined up for a fight according to Jake Paul. The social media star turned boxer has been vocal about his issues with the UFC and Dana White. In a recent episode of the ‘BS w/Jake Paul’ show on YouTube, he was joined by former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.  

Mentioning the two remaining fights on the Irishman’s contract, Paul stated, “So they’re (UFC) trying to renew their deal, and they’re negotiating with multiple people… But, let’s say they’re going with ESPN. They’re trying to renew the deal and get the most amount of money, a part of that negotiation is, ‘Hey, we have Conor McGregor for two more fights’.”

But would having McGregor fight before the deal is done impact the financial benefits of the promotion? Paul’s theory is based on the fact that, “But if (Conor) were to fight now, that wouldn’t be part of the negotiations. The company would be like ‘well you only have Conor for one fight’.”

Paul’s argument hinges on the idea that Conor McGregor’s star power is a key factor in securing a more lucrative contract. Could it be that the UFC is playing the long game with ‘The Notorious,’ waiting for the right moment to cash in on his return?

Current broadcasting deal and UFC’s benefits in holding McGregor back

In 2018, the MMA world was left in a whirlwind after it was announced that the UFC had signed a 7-year deal with ESPN in 2018 which was reported to have netted them a whopping $1.5 billion dollars! In January this year, Dana White had revealed that, “I believe that talks will begin with ESPN within the next three to four months.”

Since moving to the Disney-owned network, UFC has not only brought thrilling pay-per-views but has also helped ESPN+ grow its subscriber base to over 26 million. According to Mark Shapiro, TKO Group Holdings president, “We’ve talked about Apple, Amazon, YouTube, a lot of healthy places for us to be. But we will be flexible…” when talking about what the UFC is looking for in its new broadcast deal.

So, does it make sense that the promotion would want to keep McGregor’s 2-fights as a bargaining chip on the table? Jake Paul has made a convincing argument. After all, UFC 229 with Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor earned a reported $180 million with 2,400,000 PPV buys! In fact, the Top 10 list of highest-selling UFC PPVs is dominated by the Irishman.

With the UFC poised to renegotiate with major players like YouTube, Apple, and Amazon, McGregor’s delayed return could be the ace up the UFC’s sleeve, promising a blockbuster conclusion to their broadcast saga. Do you think that’s what the UFC and CEO Dana White have in mind? Or is there some other reason behind Conor McGregor’s delayed return? Let us know what you think about the situation in the comments below.