Popular American blogger and boxer Jake Paul expressed his opinion on why the UFC is slowing down the return of former double champion Conor McGregor to the octagon.
McGregor was scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June, but the Irishman withdrew from the fight due to a fractured toe. Conor later announced that their fight had been rescheduled for December, but UFC CEO Dana White said McGregor would not return in 2024.
Paul said on his YouTube channel:
So Conor has two fights left on his fight deal and the UFC is trying to renew their rights deal. They license their content to platforms which are the fights. So they are trying to negotiate with multiple people or they might renew their deal with ESPN. A part of that negotiation is 'Hey we have Conor McGregor for two more fights'. But if you were to fight now then that wouldn't be part of the negotiation. The company would be like, 'Oh, well you only have Conor for one fight.' So that is why Conor isn't fighting right now and that is what they do with the fighters.
McGregor last fought against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 at UFC 264. Conor was defeated by technical knockout in that fight after breaking his leg. He has 22 wins and six losses in mixed martial arts.
