UFC 329 isn’t the last we’ve seen of Conor McGregor in the octagon, and I’m certain of it. The controversial Irishman is tied into his UFC contract, and while his fight with Max Holloway was a means to an end, his final fight after recovery will be the final nail in the coffin for UFC’s Notorious One.
UFC’s contracts are notoriously tough. They have anti-compete clauses that prevent athletes from signing with other promotions and even from joining antitrust lawsuits. They are designed as cages, offering an opportunity to star on a big platform in return for signing away your freedom.
There’s a big reason we haven’t seen McGregor fight anywhere else during his extended hiatus from the octagon. He could have made bank against Jake Paul in boxing, or starred in another freakshow fight with some fringe boxing contender, or fought Floyd Mayweather in a rematch for a fat bag. UFC is leering over with their long fingers firmly wedged in the McGregor pie.
The truth of the matter is that McGregor is bound to the UFC — his two-fight deal (now one fight) is all that is keeping him from exploring free agency.
UFC 329 was bad, but not the worst outcome
You know when you see a film, and it’s neither good nor bad, just passable? That was UFC 329. McGregor wasn’t demolished by Holloway; he didn’t gain any momentum either. It was a complete stalemate for McGregor, and did nothing for his last fight.
He’s highlighted intentions to rest and return, but what does McGregor’s final UFC fight look like now that he has diminished bargaining power? Will fans care to see a Holloway rematch at all? Does he get an easy ride out, or does the UFC pair him with a killer to kick him out the door?
After all, if he retires now, that one UFC fight left on his contract will loom over every negotiation he has outside of the promotion. McGregor said it all to Ariel Helwani before the fight: “I’m happy to an extent.”
“We met in the middle [on the contract],” he revealed, referring to negotiations with the UFC. “We got a good juicy one. Was it what my worth is? Probably not.”
Like him or not, McGregor is a name that carries weight, and no, his UFC contract is ‘probably not’ what he’s worth. Especially when he can secure nine-figure paydays outside of the promotion.
UFC has all the leverage now
What UFC does next will say it all. They have the power to offer McGregor fights and extend his contract if he declines them. The contractual jail will shrinkwrap McGregor as he gets older until he retires or rolls over.
It’s up to McGregor to use all his gumption and put up or shut up so that he can get out of this contract.
My prediction: they’ll extract as much value as possible from their prized fighter, and since he was injured last time out, it comes down to the classic ‘He’s old now, he was injured, can he pull off a miracle one more time?’
Time and time again, MMA reminds us that it is a sport that has no mercy. McGregor’s keys to freedom will probably lie behind a slaughterhouse fight, against the Carlos Prates, Khamzat Chimaevs, and the Shavkat Rakhmonovs of the promotion.
And seeing the state of ‘The Mac’ at UFC 329, we know how that would go.
