Why Conor McGregor-Logan Paul exhibition boxing match in India was referred to as off? UFC star explains

After YouTuber-turned boxer
Jake Paul’s victory over the legendary ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson by unanimous verdict in Arlington, Texas on 16 November, his brother Logan was scheduled to face Irish MMA star Conor McGregor in an exhibition struggle. The high-profile boxing contest was scheduled to happen on the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai this 12 months and would have earned an astronomical payday of $250 million.

The rumors of a bout with topurio are false. I’m in preliminary agreements with the Ambani household to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India.
I’ve agreed.
I’ll then search my return to the Octagon.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 17, 2024

Former Final Combating Championship (UFC) featherweight and light-weight champion McGregor had even confirmed that he was in “preliminary agreements with the Ambani household” for the blockbuster struggle and would solely make his return to the octagon thereafter. Apart from publicising the bout, McGregor had even confronted the Paul brothers as a way to construct some warmth.

Why the McGregor-Paul exhibition struggle isn’t going forward

In accordance with 36-year-old McGregor, whose profession has been placed on maintain as a result of a leg harm suffered three years in the past, revealed that the UFC is behind the cancellation of what would have been the largest boxing match on Indian soil and among the many largest of all time.

In a 23 January interview with The Schmo, McGregor revealed that the MMA promotion owned by TKO Group Holdings which additionally owns skilled wrestling promotion World Wrestling Leisure (WWE) merely weren’t sufficient for it to get the inexperienced sign.

“It’s what it’s. The UFC simply aren’t into it. The provide was there on the desk, in writing. Each athletes will say, ‘He’s not combating,’ however each (the UFC and WWE) are beneath the (TKO Group Holdings) banner. UFC and WWE, each rising up. The inventory worth of TKO Holdings is thru the roof. New market in India has opened up and is booming. It was enterprise savvy and enterprise sense to make the struggle occur,” McGregor mentioned.

“In between this ready interval that we discover ourselves in earlier than I can get again to the Octagon, it made excellent sense on the calendar to go forward with it. The UFC weren’t into it. The WWE, I’m unsure what their curiosity in it was,” he added.

McGregor, nonetheless, hasn’t given up on the thought simply but as a result of huge payday concerned, and will struggle British influencer-turned-boxer KSI, whose exhibition struggle towards Wayne Bridge was referred to as off after the 44-year-old retired footballer backed out.

“I’m extra inclined now for this influencer, f—ing no matter you name it, as a result of it’s astronomical cash. It’s astronomical, the figures. Who’s there? Jake. Logan. KSI. I just like the three of those guys after which all these different ones which can be tussling round,” McGregor added.