Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor is finally back in the spotlight, which saw him weigh-in on the economics of Saturday’s DAZN boxing match between Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli in Saudi Arabia.
Alvarez won a unanimous decision to regain the WBC Super Middleweight Title, as the Mexican superstar set off McGregor, an Ireland native, in a firestorm of tweets. McGregor last fought at UFC 329 against Max Holloway in Las Vegas, suffering a meniscus tear in their July bout and a third straight Octagon loss.
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Why Conor McGregor Isn’t Ditching UFC Yet
With one fight left on his current UFC contract, McGregor, who won the featherweight title at UFC 194 in Dec. 2015 against Jose Aldo and the lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 11 months later in New York City, wants to end his MMA career with zero regrets.
“How many views did the Canelo fight get? How many in attendance? Gate? Man, I outdo ALL of these people in sales. Majorly. EVERY SINGLE ONE. With ease. Maybe even combined. I don’t even be trying,” McGregor tweeted Sunday morning.
McGregor said he felt disrespected by the fight’s build-up, which took place Saturday, July 11 and primarily aired on Paramount+ (including the U.S.).
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“I was on the same time as the World Cup semi final and still done all them numbers in that last bulls*** that I’ve to sit with for another few months before I return,” McGregor added. “I’m going to actually try to sell the fight for my next one. My final fight. See what numbers I can generate. Keep outdoing my own records.”
Will Conor McGregor Return to UFC Soon?
The UFC hasn’t decided on McGregor’s opponent, nor has there been any reported hints of a 2027 return despite McGregor being hellbent that he would, in fact, return to the Octagon next year.
It seems McGregor is non-preferable regarding who he fights next, despite his Holloway series being deadlocked 1-1 dating to Sept. 2014.
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Holloway lost their first fight in Aug. 2013 by decision, while McGregor went on to revolutionize MMA from a global standpoint. Milestones included an Oct. 2018 lightweight title loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in their main event (2.4 million pay-per-view buys). At the time, it was the most-purchased UFC fight ever.
The promotion fully transitioned its numbered-event schedule to streaming only stateside in April 2019 and has remained that way since.
McGregor’s fight with Holloway could be seen as part of a user’s Paramount+ subscription, despite it only lasting 69 seconds.
Now McGregor wants to earn his stripes again. Whether he will, though, remains uncertain.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Legend Conor McGregor Announces Last Dance MMA Return With Canelo Alvarez Dig.
