Conor McGregor has claimed that his final UFC fight will take place in April 2027, calling the timeline “ridiculous”.
On 11 July, McGregor will fight Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas. The bout will be the Irishman’s first in five years, after he suffered a broken leg in 2021, and it is a rematch 13 years in the making.
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McGregor, who outpointed Holloway in 2013, will have one fight left on his UFC contract after facing Holloway again, and he opened up to journalist Ariel Helwani about when that will take place – and whether he is getting paid his worth.
Conor McGregor missed out on the UFC White House event but returns in July (Getty)
“Right now I am contracted, and I have both dates,” McGregor said, holding a cigar throughout the interview. “I have both dates for my fights. I have 11 July. When would you think they would put me back in?
“When would you think they would put me back in? April 2027. It’s almost a year later, that’s ridiculous to me. I think, no?
“This is the way the contract was done, I don’t know. You’d have to ask Audie [Attar, manager] on all of that. I’m like: ‘Huh? Just give me the f***ing contract.’ It gets to that stage.
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“I have 11 July, it’s only round the corner. Yep, that’s positivity, happiness, don’t wanna go too much on all that [other stuff]. I’ve got the fight, I’ve got the date. I feel great. Bring it on, baby. The Mac is back, and I’m gonna put on a show here in this fight.”
When Helwani asked if the UFC had tried to extend McGregor’s contract, the 37-year-old said: “No, no.
“I’m happy, I’m happy to an extent. There’s a lot more there [in the future], I hope it’s with the UFC. I hope we come to something, I hope I get on it even more. I hope I can prove even more so what I’m all about.
“It wasn’t that difficult, we met in the middle. We got a good, juicy one. Was it what my worth is? Probably not. Was it what they’d want to offer? Definitely not, definitely not.
McGregor after his 2013 win over Max Holloway (Getty)
“We met in the middle, I am a fair operator, and I like to think that’s how I operate. I love the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and I’d love to continue.”
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McGregor last fought in July 2021, suffering a broken leg in a second consecutive defeat by Dustin Poirier. Earlier that year, the American knocked out McGregor.
McGregor, a former dual-weight champion, was scheduled to return in 2024, but a broken toe ruled him out of a bout with Michael Chandler on two weeks’ notice.
In October, it was announced that McGregor was serving a backdated ban over several missed drug tests. The ban was backdated to September 2024, however, freeing up McGregor to return this March or later.
