Those waiting for Conor McGregor‘s return better get comfortable, as the UFC now expect him to fight late next year. That’s right: the second half of 2025! Not for nothing, but McGregor hismelf isn’t helping the “Connie Comeback“, kicking it off the rails. No more passes for ‘The Notorious’ one as a guilty verdict now caps off years of scandal and marks a decline. Putting into context is that UFC superstar McGregor was found liable for the assault of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in 2018.
After a nearly two-week trial, a Dublin jury ruled against the former two-division UFC champion. Nikita Ni Lamhain (Hand) accused him of assaulting her at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin amid alleged nose-blows. Conor McGregor narrowly escaped aggravated or exemplary damages, but Hand did seek damages of $1.79-$2.13 million after the wrongful violence.
Irish Mirror (@IrishMirror) media journo Paul Healy reported that with the trial ending, she bagged an upward of €248,000 in damages (£206,000 /$260,000 all-in). Although McGregor said he intended to appeal, it’s hard to see how the damage done to his public image can be undone. There’s an argument that the hit to his ‘Notorious’ notoriety would be too much – in all the wrong ways now. Would a UFC return be possible, if at all? Or would the premier promotion cut ties? Here’s a look.
The Pros: It’s the Ultimate ‘Fighting’ Championship after all
To err is human and it is a fighting man’s world. UFC has been homebase to testosterone-ey alpha fighters with a history of lawful run-ins. Hell — even promotional CEO Dana White has had his stitch with a public altercation with his wife. Ever since, the bossman has overcorrected and said he’d never bill someone who assaults women. However, it does not all spell doom for Conor McGregor.
‘Absolute best pound-for-pound’ Jon Jones had his history with DUIs, failed test pools and domestic violence. Yet, “Bones” is still on the UFC competition roster. An alleged March confrontation with two UFC anti-doping agents with Drug-Free Sports International at Jones’ home in Albuquerque is still a red hot topic.
“Connie comeback” still resonates with UFC fans (Source: heavy.com/X)This isn’t the lonesome case. UFC legend BJ Penn faced one too many violent DUI arrests. SWAT had to intervence when MMA Veteran Thiago Silva got into a domestic threat over his estranged wife. Even in boxing, legend like Mike Tyson was convicted of rap* in 1992 and sentenced to six years imprisonment. However, he came back and made good of his commission license and snagged back the WBA and WBC titles in 1996.
With who and what McGregor is, he can still be a proper pay-per-view (PPV) sellout for years to come. Just his return news for the UFC 303 Pay-per-view (PPV) top bill in June topped a projected live gate of over $20 million! Other than ‘International Fight Week 2024 pre-sale Sweepstakes‘, his supposed return sold out Dublin’s 3Arena almost immediately. Civil case or not, fallen grace or not, McGregor won’t lose that notoriety any soon. But he is bleeding money.
The Cons: Mac minus ‘Mac’ Money
Part of Conor McGregor big allure was the “fu*k you” money that he earned and the charm he brought. McGregor pioneered the crossover boxing stint. His presence and lead-up banter substantiated 4.3 million PPV buys and a $55 million gate and quite the ROI! However, that effect has been fast dwindling.
The glow is fading fast for Conor McGregor (Source: X)After topping Forbes list of the wealthiest global athletes, he is now completely out of it. In 2021, McGregor was on the financial magazine’s annual list, valued at $180 million. At the same time, Forbes reported that $22 million of that came from fight purses. A whopping $158 million came from brand endorsements! More than anyone else at the time.
He also made it out of the ESPN SportsCentury project ranked the top 100 athletes list. McGregor has been going down the value as a top PPV listing without his charm, and riches, and ballot appearances. The Dubliner hasn’t fought since his 2021 TKO leg break to Dustin Poirier. But that’s not where it ends.
Improper 12: Proximo Spirits bows out
On Tuesday, Proper Twelve’s parent company and 100pc owner Proximo Spirits announced that McGregor would no longer be associated with the brand! Conor McGregor was the brand face – since the whiskey brand’s inception in 2018. The decision comes after a jury found McGregor liable for his 2018 assault case last Friday – courtesy Nikita Hand. Musgraves (Ireland’s largest grocery distributor) also stopped selling Proper 12 Irish whiskey due to the link.
Proper Twelve drops Conor McGregor after assault ruling against Nikita Hand (Source: X/irishmirror.ie)Proximo Spirits is the second company to cut ties. McGregor made his way to the Hitman 3 – IO Interactive DLC Release package. Fans could log on to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC for a piece of the Irishman. His character – “Disruptor” – was for Hitman 3 – IO Interactive – Celebrity Elusive Target pack who ‘Hitman’ had to kill.
The original plan was for the DLC to go live between the 15th of November and the 8th of December. Along with a Disruptor Pack, all for $5. This was part of his royalty merch payout per the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers. But for now, all such plans are retracted from the immensely popular game. With global brands cutting ties, it’s a hard game for Conor McGregor even though he plans to contest Nikita Hand. But will such factors ultimately hamper his octagon return?
Verdict after ‘guilty’ verdict
No – fighters and boxers have come out from a bad spell. Without commentary on the characterization, Conor McGregor is undeniable. So is his UFC return, unless he himself goes for free agency management. So yes – he will return to the UFC and won’t just give up fighting. However, it would not be the same McGregor returning with how radioactive he is.
Will he return to UFC? (Source: superlutas.com.br/independent.ie)McGregor has two fights left and no need or scope for a contractual rehash with the net value he already boasts. The running consensus is that he is a hostage for his draw power until the new broadcast rights deal. With his assets dropping and without a ballot appearance, he won’t be booking for a title fight any soon. McGregor has also been out of the UFC pound-for-pound rankings for a while now.
What ‘The Notorious’ once said would be the biggest comeback has quickly turned into one of the biggest sublime non-events. But that does not mean a PPV main event is not on the line. Where he goes from here now solely depends on when and where he fights again.
