Sean O’Malley recently shared his two cents on why the UFC hasn’t booked a fight for Conor McGregor yet. The bantamweight champion speculated that the promotion could be delaying the Irishman’s highly anticipated return to action due to financial reasons.

McGregor hasn’t stepped foot in the octagon since his ill-fated bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. After over two years away from the promotion, the Irishman returned as a coach on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ opposite Michael Chandler earlier this year. While they were expected to throw down this year, McGregor’s absence from the USADA testing pool was a massive hurdle to overcome.

‘The Notorious’ finally entered the drug testing pool in October and will be eligible to compete by April 2024. However, the UFC hasn’t officially announced a fight for McGregor, and it’s unclear when or against whom he’ll make his comeback.

At the recent ‘Day of Reckoning’ boxing event, McGregor voiced his displeasure at the UFC not booking him a fight and stated that his “patience was wearing thin.”

In a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow, Sean O’Malley shared a theory as to why Conor McGregor hasn’t been booked yet. ‘Suga’ speculated that the UFC sees the Irishman’s comeback as an expensive affair and said:

“Conor’s supposedly just begging for a fight… I wonder if he’s just making so much money per fight that it’s really just not beneficial to the UFC. Like, they’re losing money when he fights… It seems like he’s trying to get on that [UFC 300].”

Catch Sean O’Malley’s comments below (2:45):

Given that Conor McGregor is arguably MMA’s biggest star ever and is easily among the highest-paid fighters in promotional history, O’Malley may have a point. McGregor reportedly made over $25 million in five fights between 2015 and 2016.

Conor McGregor on potentially facing boxing icon Manny Pacquiao on his return to combat sports

At the same ‘Day of Reckoning’ boxing event in Saudi Arabia, Conor McGregor dropped a major hint about returning to combat sports. The Irishman is seemingly interested in a boxing match against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.

Speaking to iFL TV at the event, ‘The Notorious’ addressed the highly anticipated question regarding his return to action and said:

“They’re naming opponents now. How about me vs. Manny here in Saudi? How does that sound to you?… Manny already owes me $8 million via the court of law. He was signed to my management company and didn’t honor his deal. So fight at my weight, and I’ll square that bill away.”

Catch Conor McGregor’s comments below (0:40):