Conor McGregor to fight Logan Paul in India as UFC star confirms next plans | Boxing | Sport
Conor McGregor has revealed that he has reached a ‘preliminary agreement’ to fight Logan Paul, which would take place before any return to the UFC.
The Irishman has not fought in over three years since breaking his leg in the first round of his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. He was scheduled to face Michael Chandler earlier this year but pulled out two weeks in advance, citing a broken toe.
McGregor’s future in the UFC remains highly uncertain despite reports linking him with a fight against featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. He took to social media on Tuesday to play down those rumours, instead claiming that Paul will be his next opponent.
On X (formerly Twitter), he posted: “The rumors of a bout with Topuria are false. I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. I have agreed. I will then seek my return to the Octagon.”
If the bout goes ahead, it would mark McGregor’s first boxing match since his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2017. His reference to the Ambani family, the richest in India, suggests they would be financing the fight.
Paul, who took on Mayweather in an exhibition bout three years ago, has little boxing pedigree with just three fights on his record. He faced KSI on two occasions, drawing their amateur bout in Manchester before losing in their professional rematch.
Last year, the American fought mixed martial artist Dillon Danis and secured victory when his rival was disqualified in the final round. He attempted to take down Paul, sparking a mass brawl with hordes of security entering the ring.
Since then, Paul has largely focused on his WWE career but recently claimed he would no longer be working with the promotion. On his Impaulsive podcast, he said: “I am retired. Come on, I am retired. I’m a dad, bro.”
Paul is the older brother of fellow YouTube star Jake, who defeated Mike Tyson on points in a controversial heavyweight bout earlier this year.
McGregor would go into a fight with Paul as the overwhelming favourite despite not claiming a single win since 2020, when he beat Donald Cerrone in a UFC welterweight bout just before the pandemic struck.
His only venture into the boxing ring ended in defeat, with Mayweather securing a late stoppage when they fought seven years ago. Upon his return to the UFC, McGregor was choked out by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the biggest mixed martial arts fight in history.
It remains to be seen if he will get back in the cage at any point, with a fight against Chandler still an option despite the latter’s recent defeat to Charles Oliveira.
