Former UFC champion Conor McGregor will put his return to MMA on hold in favor of a boxing match with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
McGregor announced the news on social media while addressing rumors about his potential fight with reigning UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria, which he labeled as “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,” McGregor stated.
McGregor hadn’t competed in the octagon since 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He was scheduled to return to at UFC 303 earlier this summer but withdrew from his fight against Michael Chandler due to injury.
Conor McGregor already has some boxing experience, taking Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. He lasted 10 rounds against the undefeated boxing legend before the referee stopped the fight due to Mayweather’s dominance.
Paul, on the other hand, made his boxing debut in 2020 and has since compiled an 11-1 record. Most of his fights were exhibition bouts against fellow social media stars or retired athletes. His most recent boxing match came in November, when he faced former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and won by unanimous decision after eight rounds.
