Following his recent controversy with the law, fans are unsure if McGregor will return to the octagon, but Eddie Alvarez believes otherwise.
The Irishman is set to face Logan Paul in a boxing showdown, and many are thrilled to see this performance, but McGregor still has unfinished business with the UFC. The fighter still has two fights left on his contract and will need to finish up with UFC before moving on to other projects like his part promotion BKFC. McGregor is currently part owner of BKFC and has been vocal about competing in the promotion before retiring, but Alvarez believes UFC might not let McGregor go.
“Realistically, I think he still has two fights left on his UFC contract,” Alvarez told MMA Fighting. “I just know how difficult it is, especially when you’re that valuable to a company.
“I haven’t been as valuable as Conor, but back when I was basically Bellator’s main guy, I know how difficult it is to get out of those contracts. They don’t make it easy.”
Alvarez spoke about his past experience at Bellator and how grueling and challenging it was to leave Bellator and sign with UFC as a free agent. Alvarez revealed that Bellator had him under an exploitative contract that made it impossible for him to leave. The fighter had a long lawsuit battle with the promotion, but the two finally agreed to a new deal that allowed him to return to Bellator and battled Michael Chandler before Bellator was bought by PFL, and this change in management led to his ultimate release.
Due to his past ordeal, Alvarez believed UFC wouldn’t let McGregor without trying to bind him witgh a new deal.
“For him, making the company hundreds of millions of dollars, I don’t think it’s going to be an easy exit,” Alvarez said. “I think he still has two more fights with the UFC, and I’m not sure how old Conor is, but he’s not getting any younger. So it’s going to be tough for him to fight those fights out and move onto another contract.
“So realistically, I don’t know if he could fight BKFC, and if he does, it’ll be maybe when he’s older.”
He says BKFC have gotten a piece of the MMA pie and are content to stay within their lane. He understands McGregor’s reason for wanting to compete at the BKFC, but he doubts the promotion is willing to go into a lawsuit battle against UFC.
“They’re not trying to compete with the UFC,” Alvarez said. “I think where a lot of these other guys go wrong, they’re trying to compete with a 500-pound gorilla. Why are you competing? There’s nothing to compete with.
“BKFC is something different, completely different, trying to carve out its own little thing and trying to be different. Not trying to be the same. Not trying to look like anything else. That’s why it’s doing well.”
Everybody knows what it’s like — well not everybody — but people can realize what they’re seeing getting hit with a bare fist,” Alvarez said. “Some of these moves, wrestling or jiu-jitsu, they don’t know what it is, and they kind of go blank once that happens in an MMA fight.
“They go get popcorn, go get a soda, but in bare knuckle fighting, everybody is attentive. They know what can go on very quickly. It gets very violent, very fast and it’s fun to watch.”
Although there is no guaranteed time for when McGregor will return to the octagon, the chances of ‘The Notorious’ returning to the Octagon are getting slimmer by the day!
