Logan Paul Urges WWE Fight With 38-Year-Old McGregor After UFC 329 Knee Injury

Q: With his UFC contract ending, will McGregor's next fight be in the Octagon, a WWE ring, or a bare-knuckle pit?

McGregor’s next fight is most likely to be in the UFC Octagon, because he still has one bout left on his UFC deal and neither WWE nor BKFC can realistically come before that unless the contract situation changes. The clearest evidence is contractual. Multiple reports tied to his post-UFC 329 fallout say McGregor has one remaining UFC fight, with some coverage pointing to a target around April 2027, though his knee injury makes any date uncertain. After the 69-second loss to Max Holloway and subsequent surgery, a return is not expected until late 2027 at the earliest if he fights again at all. Dana White has also indicated any comeback talk depends on full recovery. A WWE move is being pushed publicly by Logan Paul, who argued McGregor is no longer suited for MMA and would be a major WWE attraction. The TKO link makes that scenario plausible commercially, but there is no confirmed WWE match, and nothing suggests it would happen before McGregor resolves his UFC obligation. Bare-knuckle boxing remains a serious post-UFC option. McGregor has ownership ties to BKFC, and BKFC president Dave Feldman has openly said he expects McGregor to fight there once the UFC contract expires. McGregor’s growing BKFC profile, including a FOX Nation series, adds weight to that possibility. So the best reading is this: if McGregor fights again, the next one should be in the Octagon; after that, BKFC appears more likely than WWE, though all three paths remain possible.

Q: Is McGregor's UFC loss a planned pivot to WWE, orchestrated by parent company TKO to maximize his star power?

No. There is no evidence that Conor McGregor’s 69-second loss to Max Holloway was a planned pivot to WWE or that TKO orchestrated it. The available reporting points to a real competitive defeat compounded by injury. McGregor reportedly damaged his knee early in the fight after landing awkwardly on a flying kick, with widespread belief that he tore his ACL and meniscus. That fits the visible sequence of the bout and his subsequent surgery, not a scripted business maneuver. The WWE angle came after the fact. Logan Paul said on his podcast that he texted WWE leadership about McGregor becoming a “big WWE star,” arguing that age and injuries have made him ineffective in MMA. But that was Paul’s public pitch, not evidence of a company plan already in motion. There is no reporting that TKO, which owns both UFC and WWE, directed the fight result or mapped out a WWE transition around this loss. McGregor’s own situation also cuts against the theory. He still has one fight left on his UFC contract, has said he wants to return, and is not expected back until late 2027, if at all. At the same time, he has publicly maintained interest in bare-knuckle boxing through BKFC, where he is a part-owner. That suggests multiple possible post-UFC paths, not a single coordinated WWE strategy. What is clear is that TKO has the corporate structure to enable a crossover if all sides want it. What is not supported by the facts is the claim that this UFC loss was engineered to get McGregor there.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 22

Logan Paul said he texted his boss right after Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 loss, urging WWE to “make a bag” and book a fight because McGregor is now “a big WWE star.”
UFC 329 triggered the pitch after McGregor blew out his knee in the opening moments of his rematch with Max Holloway, a setback expected to keep him out nearly a year.
Paul argued the 38-year-old is “incapable of fighting,” saying McGregor’s five-year layoff and lifestyle away from competition made another elite comeback unlikely.
McGregor still says he will rehab and return next summer for the final fight on his UFC contract, but Paul said another performance like UFC 329 could end his career.