If Conor McGregor is believed, a mammoth crossover exhibition fight with Logan Paul is in the works. The problem is that it’s hard to believe the Irishman and his posts on social media.
On Tuesday, the former two-division UFC champion claimed he made “preliminary agreements” to box the older Paul brother in India. McGregor declared the Ambani family, whose patriarch Mukesh Ambani is among the richest people in the world, is involved in the business end. McGregor’s claims followed rumors of a McGregor vs. current UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria bout that both fighters denied.
A boxing match between McGregor and social media superstar Paul would be a major box-office attraction, but there’s little reason to believe it’s happening at the moment. Contractual restrictions, personal matters and a habit of blowing smoke should give pause to anyone excited about McGregor vs. Paul.
McGregor is under UFC contract
UFC contracts are notoriously restrictive. UFC fighters are independent contractors who cannot compete for other combat sports promotions without UFC approval. McGregor was only cleared to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017 by bringing in UFC as a promoter. UFC has made some exceptions lately, such as permitting Jorge Masvidal to box Nate Diaz in July, but these situations are few and far between. Francis Ngannou vacated his UFC heavyweight championship and departed for the Professional Fighters League partially because UFC allegedly wouldn’t permit him to box.
McGregor vs. Paul is dead on arrival unless the UFC is involved. Jake Paul, Logan’s brother, addressed UFC’s involvement while claiming that McGregor’s management team approached Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Jake was unusually cordial toward White considering their frequent clashes in the media. It’s unclear how much of a hurdle White and Paul’s relationship would be in booking the fight considering Logan and KSI’s PRIME beverage is an official UFC sponsor.
McGregor claimed he’d box Paul before returning to the Octagon. That’s unlikely to happen given that White and Co. would want McGregor’s first participation in a combat sport in over three years to be in the Octagon above all else. McGregor can explore boxing more easily in free agency by completing the two fights reportedly remaining on his UFC contract.
Logan is a new dad
“I’m retired. I’m a dad, bro,” Paul said last week on the “Impaulsive” podcast when discussing his involvement with WrestleMania 41.
It was more a passing comment than a firm retirement, but it’s enough to suggest the part-time WWE superstar isn’t gearing up for anything in the combat space at the moment. Paul and his fiancee, Nina Agdel, welcomed their first daughter in September. Paul has not wrestled in the WWE since August and hasn’t boxed since defeating Dillon Danis by disqualification in October 2023. The money involved in McGregor vs. Paul would definitely be enticing, but Paul hasn’t publicly shown a desire to resume his athletic career.
The Irishman who cried wolf
McGregor was magnetic once upon a time. Every bold claim came to fruition, from knocking out Jose Aldo to boxing Mayweather. These days, McGregor is less “Mystic Mac” and more crazy next-door neighbor. McGregor has proposed fights with almost every big name in combat sports — Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev, Nate Diaz, Jake Paul, etc. But he hasn’t fought since being stopped twice by Poirier in 2021. McGregor’s long-awaited return was supposed to occur against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. After pulling out with a toe injury, McGregor lost his remaining goodwill with the fanbase. McGregor fatigue has set in for fans. It’s hard to take anything he says seriously until there is a contractual agreement and promotional announcement attached to it.
