Conor McGregor vs. Jake Paul, Nate Diaz Fights Eyed by MVP Co-Founder After UFC Contract Expires

After UFC star Conor McGregor's return fight was announced on Saturday, the fastest-rising promotion in combat sports is waiting in the wings to pounce at the opportunity to work with him.

During an appearance on Wednesday's episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani told Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian that McGregor's return fight against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 is one of two fights remaining on his current contract with the UFC.

Bidarian made it clear that MVP would pursue McGregor if he ever hit the open market.

"If the day comes that Conor McGregor is a free agent, we will do everything in our power to work with him," Bidarian said. "That's to work with him to do his own events. That's to work with him to fight Jake Paul in boxing and MMA. That's to try to make Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz."

McGregor's scheduled fight against Holloway would mark his first time in the Octagon since July 2021 when he suffered a broken ankle in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier. UFC president Dana White announced McGregor's return on Instagram Live while MVP's first MMA event was airing on Netflix.

It should be noted that the UFC typically requires fighters of McGregor's stature to sign new contracts well before their deals could expire, so it will be interesting to see how the company approaches the situation with one of the biggest stars in its history.

Bidarian went on to point out that McGregor already knows what it feels like to compete outside of the UFC from his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, so he could look to take control of his career and fight out the remainder of his contract before becoming a free agent.

"Conor's biggest payday of his career, by far, is fighting Floyd Mayweather, the one time that he wasn't within the framework and pay system of his current employer," Bidarian said. "I know he knows that, and I know he knows the power that he has as a brand, and I hope we're able to help him in that one day, if and when he's a free agent."