Conor McGregor told attendees in Berlin he has one bout remaining on his UFC contract and plans to move to bare-knuckle fighting once that obligation is finished.
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Conor McGregor says he has one fight left on his UFC contract and intends to compete without gloves after the deal ends, following a plan to leave the promotion for bare-knuckle fighting. He made the comments to attendees at the Hype Italy event in Berlin.
McGregor, a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, also said he does not view stepping away from the octagon as retirement. He pointed to what he sees as the excitement of bare-knuckle fighting, telling the crowd, "Bare knuckle; I really enjoy bare knuckle fighting," adding, "I don't think there's any chance of a boring fight in bare knuckle."
He acknowledged that top-level MMA remains appealing, but described bare-knuckle competition as requiring more courage, saying, "It takes more courage for me, I think, to get in," and joked about the physical cost of fighting without gloves, telling the crowd, "Eh, teeth come and go! Just like a nose, it means nothing!" before adding, "You can get new teeth!"
McGregor’s final UFC appearance has not been scheduled. His most recent octagon fight came in July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
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