Jason Burgos
Despite another ugly loss over the weekend at UFC 329, Conor McGregor and the UFC can still make a boatload of money with one more fight in the Octagon.
Saturday night brought a nightmarish result for “Notorious.” After five years away to rehabilitate a broken fibula and get his life together, “Notorious” returned to the UFC for a highly anticipated rematch with fellow MMA legend Max Holloway. Unfortunately, the UFC 329 main event ended in a little over a minute after a head-scratching high kick seconds into the fight by McGregor led to him blowing out his right knee.
It was an embarrassing finish for a brash and cocky fighter who lost three of his previous four fights and hasn’t notched a victory in the promotion since 2020. The last five years of setbacks in and outside the Octagon have hurt his relevancy. There are so many times fans will invest time and money in a fighter before they believe he is washed up. And a case can be made that the former two-division champion needs to call it a career.
However, McGregor revealed this week he plans to rehab his injury, following surgery, and is set on competing in the final fight on his UFC contract. But how can the promotion make fans actually care about seeing him compete again after suffering serious injuries in his last two fights? We have three ideas for how McGregor and the UFC can still make a bunch of money in one more fight from “Notorious.”
Have Conor McGregor’s next fight in Ireland
To make another McGregor fight seem grand and worth seeing, the UFC needs to pick the right setting. While he has had many legendary moments in Las Vegas and New York, those destinations aren’t special enough. That is why a last fight in the Octagon should come with a return home to Ireland.
If McGregor’s return were in his home country, the UFC could do it at a venue like Aviva Stadium in Dublin and easily pack it with 51,000 rabid Irish McGregor supporters. That environment would seem special, especially if it’s his last scrap in the company.
At the very least, the company could pay for McGregor’s expensive per-fight rate with the massive arena gate they would get.
Market Conor McGregor’s next fight as his last in the UFC
To make the most of one more McGregor fight, the UFC must fully lean into the idea that this will be his last cage fight. It is no secret that he wants to get out of his contract and eventually compete in boxing, most likely for the popular promotion he co-owns, BKFC.
Spending months marketing his next fight as his last as an MMA competitor would draw a ton of interest. Even after such a rough loss at UFC 329. For long-time fans, and even casuals, the idea of “one final time” will always draw attention, especially when it comes to an uber-famous athlete like McGregor.
Make Nate Diaz his final UFC opponent
Another key element to make fight fans want to see McGregor compete one more time is the opponent. Giving him a top star right now would be a bad idea because there is even less hope he would actually win after how things went over the weekend. It would be in the best interest of all involved to give the Irishman another legend in the final stages of their career.
That is why a long-desired trilogy clash with long-time rival Nate Diaz would be the perfect final fight for McGregor in the UFC. A third matchup is something the company and fans have wanted for a decade. While it is the sort of fight UFC boss Dana White would have made fun of in the past, with a lot of money to be made in one last war between the well-aged pair, he would quickly forget how much trashed he’s talked about such bookings.
