Conor McGregor says his existing UFC contract is now void and that he plans to negotiate a new agreement with the promotion as he prepares for a potential return at the UFC’s planned White House event in June.
McGregor made the comments during a livestream, saying the organisation’s new media rights deal with Paramount effectively eliminates the pay-per-view structure that underpinned his current deal.
McGregor, the first simultaneous two-division UFC champion and the promotion’s highest-grossing pay-per-view draw in history, said the shift to the Paramount broadcast model fundamentally alters his business relationship with the UFC and necessitates fresh negotiations. The White House event, expected to take place in June and tied to the organisation’s restructured event schedule, is widely being discussed as the likely stage for his comeback.
“I’m warming up now for the White House fight,” McGregor said on the livestream, “I’m gonna be at it, for sure. It’s gonna be insane, the White House card is gonna be.”
McGregor also addressed the contractual situation directly, saying, “I’m going into negotiations with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in February. I’m very interested to go. They’ve actually got a new deal with Paramount, it’s worth $7.7 billion. So the company has 4xed its profit, and my contract, essentially, is void right now because there’s no more PPV, whereas my contract was based on PPV sales. I’m the highest-generating PPV fighter of all time. The PPV system is done, I’m due a new contract. So, we’re going into negotiations in February, and I’m very interested to see how it goes.”
On his training and focus ahead of the expected negotiations and return, McGregor said, “And what am I doing for it? I’m focusing on what I can control. I’m in the gym. I’m living in the gym, focusing on my health, focusing on my rest, listening to my coaches, following the game plan. External noise is non-existent for me. I don’t absorb it. You’re aware of it, but you don’t let it seep in. Keep the internal dialogue strong. I’m here, showing the kids, showing my team what it takes. You’ve got to live it. You’ve got to live and breathe it.”
It remains unclear whether the Paramount broadcast rights deal legally alters McGregor’s UFC contract, which reportedly still has two fights left under its terms, or whether his assertion reflects a negotiation stance ahead of formal talks. UFC CEO Dana White has said matchmaking for the White House card will begin after UFC 324 concludes, leaving the final shape of the event and McGregor’s role in it to be determined in the coming months.
