Conor McGregor announced on social media Tuesday that he has entered into an agreement with India’s Ambani Family for an exhibition boxing match against American influencer-turned-fighter Logan Paul.
The Irishman used his X account to dismiss rumors of a fight with Georgian-Spanish champion Ilia Topuria, who had called out McGregor after defeating Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title.
“The rumors of a bout with Topurio are false,” McGregor’s post began. “I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. I have agreed,” the Irishman added. I will then seek my return to the Octagon,” McGregor continued.”
The rumors of a bout with topurio are 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.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 17, 2024
Paul, a WWE superstar and occasional boxer, responded to McGregor’s announcement in his Instagram Stories by posting an eyeball emoji under a screenshot of McGregor’s X post. In the background, a close-up image of both fighters, seemingly from a potential promotional poster, was visible.
Jake Paul, the influencer-turned-boxer and brother of Logan Paul, claimed on X that McGregor had been “desperately” seeking a fight with him.
“Conor is washed. Needs the Paul brothers,” wrote Jake, who recently achieved a unanimous decision victory over Mike Tyson in a bout streamed live on Netflix, garnering an estimated 108 million viewers across 65 million households globally.
McGregor, the first UFC fighter to hold featherweight and lightweight belts simultaneously, has not competed in the UFC since losing to Dustin Poirier by technical knockout in 2021. A planned fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 was canceled after McGregor suffered a foot injury.
McGregor’s only professional boxing appearance was in a 2017 bout against Floyd Mayweather, which ended in a 10th-round TKO loss. Last month, a civil jury in Dublin found the Irish fighter liable in a case involving allegations of sexual assault in a hotel room in December 2018. McGregor, who claimed the encounter was consensual, was ordered by the High Court to pay €248,000 ($257,000) in damages to the complainant.
McGregor has announced his intention to appeal the decision. While he is not currently facing criminal charges, several companies have since withdrawn McGregor-branded products from the market. Paul has competed in four boxing matches, including a draw and a loss against fellow influencer-turned-boxer KSI in 2018 and 2019, a draw against Mayweather in 2021, and a disqualification victory over Dillon Danis in 2023.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
