Let it never be said that Conor McGregor doesn’t know how to stir the storm out of the blue. McGregor’s career could take a vastly different turn with some big tides. The consensus MMA superstar revealed that he has spoken with boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh. With his UFC return on hold and a Saudi GEA backing, ‘Mystic Mac’ could be back but in a very different light.
Since his first-round TKO leg break to Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor has not fought. The 36-year-old prolonged his UFC hiatus when he had another injury before UFC 303 media obligations at kickoff. The running sentiment is the brass is keeping him on lock for an exclusive 2025 broadcast rights deal. However, with two fights and no financial incentive for contractual rehashing, ‘The Notorious’ shifts focus.
Turki is the man…He’s had the shaking of the combat sports world. He’s been mending rivalries and making business for happen in the industry. I’ve got some big announcements for myself in the Saudi region…I was on a call with him only yesterday. We have some big, big things coming up including in the boxing realm as well.
Conor McGregor in an exlusive to talkSPORT host Jim White in Newcastle
The Irish fighter was ringside at BKFC 68 from inside the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England. While his next billing is moot, McGregor could be in talks to return to fight in Saudi Arabia. He hinted as much, although that could also mean MMA crossover promotional roles. In a Bloody Elbow exclusive, the Irishman hinted at a potential SA Kingdom outing with 155-pound Dan Hooker before.
However, expecting childbirth, Hooker has since dispelled the rumor. While his UFC billing is up in the air, boxing could be it. McGregor first entered the crossover boxing foray after all. One offer to fight Terence Crawford in boxing and MMA didn’t go through.
However, the Saudi boxing chief, GEA, and the large DCT Abu Dhabi influence prefer mainstream fighting a tad bit more. Most notably, boxing chief Turki Alalshikh will be heavily embedded in Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight rematch on December 21. ‘Mystic Mac’ has pitched in on it.
Conor McGregor weighs in on Tyson Fury’s blockbuster rematch with Oleksandr Usyk
‘Mac’ has integrated himself into the boxing sphere. He was also a global sports ambassador for the Riyadh Season opener. Conor McGregor was the first UFC star to pioneer crossover boxing ventures in 2017. Floyd Mayweather alone has an ROI of $275 million in payday while the Irishman rose and rose in stock. Many still want to follow his blueprint into crossover boxing.
UFC brass ponied up $50 million as a one-time boxing promotional warden back then. UFC’s repo with Saudi GEA and Turki Alalshikh would greatly benefit that. Saudi money has sponsored many ventures during the latest Riyadh season run.
His Excellency Alalshikh provided for the monumental UFC on ABC 6: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov fight night. He also helped fund the Riyadh Season Noche. With McGregor still yearning for the octagon return, this tease might just be in a business capacity. But till then, he provides a verdict on Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch:
We’ve always got to win our fights scheduled. You certainly don’t want to be on the receiving end, especially from a guy like Oleksandr Usyk, …But that was a close fight also, and I thought Fury had his moments. Fury is another guy who can make great adjustments and if you look at his trilogy with Deontay Wilder, he got better as it went on…But Usyk is a very crafty boxer and that’s a hell of a fight.
Conor McGregor further said to talkSPORT host Jim White
Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) suffered a 12-round split loss to the Ukrainian. The latter thus holds his mettle as the 4-belt era’s first-ever undisputed heavyweight. The DAZN Pay-per-view (PPV) #Usyk-Fury2 media conferences are in full force. McGregor, a great boxing enthusiast and part of the world now, could be in media availability. It all depends on this hush-hush role.
