Conor McGregor’s much-anticipated return to combat sports has been a topic of speculation, particularly since his last UFC bout in 2021 ended with a severe leg injury in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier.
Initially slated to face Michael Chandler in July, the matchup fell through due to a broken toe. Despite this, UFC CEO Dana White has repeatedly stated that the Irishman will eventually return to the Octagon.
However, McGregor himself has hinted that his comeback might take a different route. The former two-division UFC champion recently claimed that discussions are underway for a potential boxing match against social media star and occasional boxer Logan Paul. If this materializes, it would mark a shift away from McGregor’s UFC roots.
Former UFC fighter Matt Brown shared his perspective during a recent episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer, expressing doubts about McGregor’s return to the UFC.
“Does he fight Logan Paul? That’s a good question. I don’t know. I’m going to say I don’t know,” Brown remarked. “Does he fight in the UFC? I think that’s a clear no. Does he fight outside the UFC? I think it’s always possible for him to fight outside the UFC, if the UFC allows it. I don’t know if the UFC is going to get behind it. I just don’t know how those deals are going to play out. But does he fight in the UFC? No, and I’m going to leave it at that. He won’t be in the UFC. I don’t think he’ll fight in the UFC ever again.”
Brown believes the financial incentive to fight Logan Paul far outweighs the challenges of facing elite UFC opponents.
“There’s so much money to be made doing a Logan Paul fight. Of course, he would do that. He doesn’t have to come back and fight a f*cking Islam [Makhachev] or something or Dustin Poirier or [Nate] Diaz or anything. He just [has to] go and box a guy who is not a pro boxer.”
As the combat sports world awaits McGregor’s next move, the possibility of a lucrative boxing spectacle with Logan Paul adds another layer of intrigue to his storied career.
