Conor McGregor Says He Won’t Return to UFC Unless He’s a ‘True Partner’ and ‘Promoter’

The Notorious One is demanding a major raise before he fights in the Octagon again.

November 12, 2017 will mark the one year anniversary of Conor McGregor‘s last time in the Octagon, and the UFC lightweight champ is suggesting that it might be a lot longer until he returns. 

Speaking to reporters in Dublin on Wednesday ahead of the premiere of his documentary Notorious, McGregor said he’s got some conditions that must be met before he agrees to fight in the UFC again. 

“They’ve got to entice me now because I came from a billion-dollar fight,” he said. “I want equity, I want pay-per-view. I want to be a true partner. You have to entice me now. I want to be a partner. I want to be a promoter and I want to be a fighter for me to continue.”

This is hardly surprising. McGregor was always going to have a hard time returning to the UFC and it’s paltry paychecks after this summer’s megafight against Floyd Mayweather. 

That’s why he’s toying with returning to the boxing ring. “We’re in the process of negotiations, there’s a couple of opponents across different sports now in play, there’s the boxing game also,” he said Wednesday. Earlier this week, McGregor suggested the possibility that he’ll box again, bringing up trash talking retiree Paulie Malignaggi as a potential opponent.

This isn’t the first time McGregor has suggested that he should be in UFC ownership. This time last year, after he knocked out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, McGregor said the UFC needs to recognize his value and help him in his quest to become a mogul.

 “I need to be set for life for this. If you want me to be truly on on board, then I need to be all-in on this proper, as an owner, and have an equity stake in the company. That’s what I’m looking for,” he said during his post-fight press conference at Madison Square Garden.

That seemed like a pipe dream at the time, but McGregor spent the next year showing that he is a promotional whiz. And over the summer, UFC head Dana White signaled that McGregor might be more than an employee soon. He might be a partner—but only if McGregor puts his money where his mouth is. 

“Listen, you want a piece? He’s got a lot of money. Come in and buy a piece, man,” White said.