On paper, a fight between Conor McGregor and Jake Paul's fight appears doomed from the start - but we said the same about the Irishman's clash with Floyd Mayweather.
The idea of McGregor taking on Paul looks fanciful at first glance. The former featherweight and lightweight world champion McGregor from the UFC squaring off with 5-0 cruiserweight boxing novice Paul may not seem appetising on the surface, but there are huge amounts of money to be made with the right promotion.
Therein lies the first problem.
Paul and McGregor have very different promotional situations. The YouTube star has his own banner; Most Valuable Promotions, while the Irishman is tied to a lucrative but restrictive UFC contract that ties him to the octagon. He was 'allowed out' in 2017 to fight Mayweather, but UFC boss Dana White has indicated it was essentially the exception that proves the rule. Since then, not one fighter has been allowed to cross over while still under contract to the UFC.
Even retired legends of the sport with major pull in the organisation like Georges St-Pierre have had their advances spurned by the UFC over the years. The Canadian was offered big money to box Oscar de la Hoya last year, but was told he couldn't do it after having retired without honouring the entirety of his UFC deal from 2017.
However, Paul believes that there is a chance the relationship between his manager; the former UFC CFO Nakisa Bidarian, and Audie Attar, who has steered the McGregor ship for years, could lead to a breakthrough. Bidarian was the Chief Financial Officer for the promotion during the Dubliner's rise to the top of the sport, including multiple monstrous paydays.
"His manager Audie is close with my manager so there's a relationship there," Paul told Mirror Fighting . "If he can get out of the Dana White contract then it's definitely possible to happen." And Paul believes he is the biggest name out there in either discipline for the Irishman. He is one of the most talked about fighters in the world at the moment due to his outspoken nature and brash promotional style, not dissimilar to the UFC legend's famous attitude.
"He's a businessperson," Paul explained. "And he sees the big numbers that would do. I'm the biggest fight for him in MMA or boxing, biggest name, biggest fight and he's going to want that payday, especially if he keeps on losing, right. He's going to think 'maybe I'll fight this YouTuber kid and get a W real fast, make a hundred million dollars so it's getting more and more real as time goes on."
Paul is currently without a broadcaster for his next fight, with Showtime Boxing having carried his last two and talks underway with them and DAZN over his August return. He is currently in promoter-mode as he prepares to stage tonight's undisputed lightweight world title fight between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Paul made his debut on DAZN under the Matchroom Boxing banner, and is back working with Eddie Hearn for tonight's historic clash. Should he resume work with Hearn, there could be another avenue opened, with the British promoter a known close friend of White's. The pair keep in regular contact, and sat together at ringside during last month's UFC London event at The O2 arena. Hearn is known to be a major admirer of White's, while the MMA kingpin told Mirror Fighting earlier this year that he "likes Eddie Hearn very much".
"Genuinely, I spoke to him last night," Hearn said to Mirror Fighting on Tuesday. "I'm going to see him next week in Vegas. He's a great promoter, he doesn't necessarily need my help but if he needs any advice I'm here like he's given me advice in the past. Friends? Well, we don't go out for beers and stuff like that but I respect him and stuff like that, I would have no problem reaching out to him if I needed help. That line is always open to him, he's been incredibly hospitable to me at all junctures and I find him to be a gentleman.
"It's different because I don't feel threatened by Dana and he doesn't feel threatened by me. Frank [Warren] feels threatened by me and he doesn't want me near anything."
Could Hearn provide the seemingly missing link in a McGregor vs Paul event? Matchroom Boxing's CEO Frank Smith believes the fight will happen one day, and they would love to be a part of it having started the ball rolling with the Paul brothers on the eve of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago.
Would you watch a Conor McGregor vs Jake Paul fight on pay-per-view? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"We could be the middle ground," he joked when the suggestion was floated to him this week. "Let's see what happens. In boxing, I think it would be a close fight, and in MMA you've got to give it to Conor McGregor but what weight are they? I don't know, but I'm sure we'll see it in some world, one day. Conor McGregor is still with UFC isn't he?"
On McGregor's end, there's more interest now than there ever was prior to his disaster year in 2021, where he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier in their January rematch before breaking his leg in the first round of their trilogy bout in July. Prior to UFC 264 when he faced Poirier for the third time, he was quoted on Fox Sports Australia as having said he "couldn't care" about Jake and his brother Logan. He branded the pair dingbats, and dismissed them as future opponents.
But asked in February by Mirror Fighting if there was a possibility that the younger Paul could be his opponent when he returns from his horror injury, McGregor replied "never say never".
