Jake Paul argues Conor McGregor isn't fighting due to the UFC wanting better leverage over billion-dollar rights deal
06/09/2024 09:48
Despite Conor McGregor being back in the gym after recovering from the toe injury that forced him out of UFC 303, the promotion has not yet officially announced when the 'Notorious' superstar will be making his long-awaited return to action.
The delay has generated a whole host of theories, some far more conspiratorial than others, as to why the UFC might be wanting to postpone his comeback – with Jake Paul now offering a curious assessment of what could be going on behind the scenes.
Jake Paul offers his take on why the UFC could be stalling Conor McGregor's return
On the latest episode of the BS w/ Jake Paul Podcast, 'The Problem Child' was joined by former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou with the duo eventually getting onto the topic of fighter pay.
It was here that Jake Paul offered his opinion as to why the UFC has not yet announced a new date for Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler; despite the Irishman having been back in the gym for several weeks.
According to the divisive YouTuber turned boxer, the reason for the delay is that the promotion is trying to use McGregor's last two remaining fights on his current UFC deal to leverage a better price for their broadcast rights.
"What's happening to Conor McGregor right now, for the people at home who don't understand it, basically they're like 'Why is Conor not fighting?'
"So, Conor has two fights left on his fight deal, but the UFC is trying to renew their rights deal because they license their content, which are their fights, to [broadcast] platforms."
The current broadcast rights deal with ESPN is set to expire in 2025; a deal that was valued at some $1.5 billion over the five-year term.
"So, they're trying to renew their deal, they're negotiating with multiple people but let's say it's going to go with ESPN; they're trying to renew their deal and get them the most amount of money.
"A part of that negotiation is 'Hey, we have Conor McGregor for two more fights' but if he were to fight now, that wouldn't be a part of the negotiations; 'Oh yeah well you only have Conor for one more fight' – that's why Conor is not fighting right now."
Dana White has previously stated that the UFC are window-shopping potential partners regarding their broadcast rights and that there could come a time when the MMA world leader is shown across multiple platforms.
"Yeah, everyone is kicking the tires and over the however many last years that we've been together, I've had some headbutting with ESPN, but I feel like we are in a really good place right now," White told the Sports Business Journal earlier in the year.
"This is what they do to the fighters," continued Paul, who is himself preparing for his controversial boxing fight against Mike Tyson in November.
"If you sign the contract that you didn't sign [and] you win, you're locked in for three more fights or something like that… You're basically owned and operated across the board."
UFC fans react to Jake Paul's opinion on Conor McGregor vs broadcast rights
Whilst Paul's assessment of the 'Notorious' situation is certainly not a new one, it was interesting to see a decidedly mixed reaction from fans online.
Popular MMA X page 'Championship Rounds' was one such channel that posted the clip, with some of the top replies on the post being arguments such as "Even a broken clock is right twice a day," and "I wouldn't be surprised if Jake is right here.
"Conor did tweet somewhat recently about wanting to be 'free' and then deleted it."
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"Jake Paul is cooking with this one, this is very plausible" stated one fan, with another writing: "Makes sense, sucks for Conor and I don't agree with what they're doing but business is business."
A reminder that speculation had been for McGregor vs Chandler to be rebooked for the final PPV in the year in December; although UFC Legend Chael Sonnen also teased an ‘inside scoop’ that the bout is being targeted for January 2025.
