Conor McGregor has claimed that he is negotiating with President Donald Trump and his administration, not the UFC, for his octagon comeback next year.
The Irishman is far and away the biggest star in the history of MMA, but has been out of action since the summer of 2021 when he suffered a broken leg against Dustin Poirier. Generally, McGregor sits down with his management team headed by Audie Attar of Paradigm and the UFC to negotiate a fight.
However, with his return slated for the promotion’s event at the UFC White House card next year, he says that talks are happening at an even higher level. This would mean going over Dana White and Hunter Campbell’s heads for the biggest event in promotional history.
- Who is Conor McGregor? Step inside the hedonistic life of UFC’s ‘notorious’ bad boy and legendary double champ
Conor McGregor claims he is negotiating for UFC return with Donald Trump instead of Dana White
Conor McGregor was in Manchester tonight for BKFC 81, headlined by James DeGale’s bizarre comeback win over Matt Floyd. There, he was asked about returning to the cage at UFC’s White House card.
He claimed that the talks, which he recently took online with a $200million asking price between a purse and visas for his friends and family, were above the UFC, telling reporter Ayman Khan: “I’m not negotiating with the UFC on behalf of myself for this fight like usual.
“I am negotiating with the United States of America on behalf of Ireland for this fight, so it is a peculiar one. But [President Donald] Trump, the administration have been fully supportive and backing and I cannot wait to put on a show.”
Conor McGregor wants $200million package to fight at UFC White House event
McGregor’s return to action isn’t going to be cheap, telling President Trump on social media this week that he wants a $200 million package to fight for the first time since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021.
The 37-year-old wants to earn a $100 million flat fee to headline the once-in-a-lifetime UFC show, with the rest of his purse to be made up of 100 ‘Golden Card’ visas, which have a market value of $1 million each and allow their owners to obtain residency in the United States.
“$100million to fight at the White House along with 100 U.S “Golden Visas” for myself and family and friends,” McGregor tweeted on Thursday morning.