UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has stopped short of confirming a return to the octagon in 2018, stating that there are conditions which will need to be satisfied before he fights again
2017 will be a difficult year to top for the Irishman.
By his own account, McGregor has raked in approximately $160 million dollars with the vast majority of that sum coming from his mega-lucrative boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August. The 29-year-old also has a number of other financial interests such as a fashion line and a whiskey brand, which, coupled with his numerous sponsorship and endorsement deals, ensures money is no object.
McGregor has accumulated a level of wealth other fighters can only dream of. As such, there are many who believe that the Dubliner may never step foot inside the cage again. Tyron Woodley and Dana White have both cast doubts over a McGregor return:
“I’ve never thought he was coming back – I’ve said it all along,” Woodley told TMZ recently. “When he goes to fight for $60-110million – whatever he came home with – are you going to get him to come back and fight the match-ups that were most challenging to him for a fraction of that? You’re not going to do it.
“For him to come back and fight me or Tony Ferguson? Or one of these [fighters] that are not going to be affected by the trash talk, the antics and are going to try to knock his head off? No. It’s not worth it. He’s going to blow through that money [instead].”
White told media that he questioned McGregor’s motivation to return to fighting given his financial accomplishments:
“Money changes everything, he may never fight again,” White said. “He has got $100 million in the bank. It’s tough to get punched in the face every day when you’ve got $100 million.”
McGregor has indicated that he will return in 2018 but only if he his paid what he feels he is worth:
“My focus is getting back into the right ring or Octagon. 2017 was historic. I have transcended both the sport of MMA and boxing,” McGregor told Betsafe, via The MacLife. “At this stage of my career, as it has been for the majority of my UFC career, potential opponents must lobby for fights with me. We could see Conor McGregor anywhere. I run the fight game, the fashion game, the whiskey game, or whatever the next business endeavor might be.”
