The timeline of Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon remains unknown, and there are no exact explanations for why the fighter remains inactive until now. For Sean O’Malley, nonetheless, it might have something to do with the UFC’s earnings when they are pushing the Irish into the cage. Specifically, according to the bantamweight champ, it might be because the promotion is not earning money when pushing such a fight.
News about McGregor has been making the rounds in the past weeks, with the fighter’s team sharing that they are still making the move to push the early return of McGregor in 2024. This month, Audie Attar, the fighter’s manager, shared targeting UFC 300 as the possible return of the Irish and said that Michael Chandler could be “the likeliest opponent” in the bout. However, “The Notorious” seemingly admitted recently that even he is unsure of his next bout, suggesting that the company itself is not even making any effort. Ultimately, the former featherweight and lightweight champ expressed frustration over the matter.
“Get me back in there. It’s f*cking bollocks,” McGregor said. “The Mac has loads to offer, loads to deliver. They’re talking Manny (Pacquiao). I don’t give a f*ck. They’re talking Manny here in Saudi. The lads in the UFC aren’t really talking any. So the lads here are talking Manny, and the UFC aren’t talking any.”
O’Malley, who replaced McGregor as UFC’s PVP star, recently commented on the matter, saying that the promotion must be doing it intentionally. Despite the Irish stressing his huge contribution to UFC’s business, “Sugar” negated the idea and shared an opposite view.
“I wonder if he’s just making so much money per fight that it’s just not beneficial to the UFC,” O’Malley said. “Like, they’re losing money when he fights.”
The bantamweight champ might also be referring to the contract between McGregor and the UFC, with the latter having to pay the fighter a huge sum of money. However, the current status between the fighter and the company is unknown, with McGregor making several callouts to different fighters in recent months. Just days ago, due to his frustration over his inactivity, The Notorious called out Manny Pacquiao, suggesting he’s ready to take even a boxing fight just to get into the action again.
