With UFC President Dana White confirming Conor McGregor’s return to face Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said Jake Paul’s team would push hardest if McGregor becomes a free agent—specifically to help secure a major payd
Conor McGregor’s UFC comeback is no longer just talk. UFC President Dana White announced McGregor is set to return after serving his suspension, with the Irish fighter scheduled to face Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Jul. 11, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena.
The timing is already hitting a raw nerve in combat sports—because on the same date White announced McGregor’s return. May 16. 2026. Ronda Rousey’s comeback fight for MVP also took place. And for Jake Paul’s side, the attention isn’t just on McGregor’s opponent or the venue. It’s on what comes next, should the UFC door ever open fully.
Nakisa Bidarian. Jake Paul’s partner and MVP’s co-founder. framed his reaction to McGregor’s stated return plan as confusion—then grew more direct as the discussion turned to opportunity. Speaking to Ariel Helwani. Bidarian said he couldn’t understand the choice to bring McGregor back during what he described as a massive sports event.
“ I viewed it as just confusing. Why would you do that during what is clearly a massive event in sports… What is the objective?. Was it because you didn’t want people to really pay attention to Conor McGregor coming back?. Was there some criticism you were expecting because the opponent fights at 145 or 155?. And Conor’s walking around at 185?. Honestly, it made no sense to me… I felt bad for Conor,” Bidarian said.
When Helwani pressed him on whether McGregor could ever end up with MVP, Bidarian didn’t shut the door. He said it would depend on one key condition: free agency.
“If the day comes that Conor McGregor is a free agent, we will do everything in our power to work with him. And 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,” Bidarian said.
Bidarian’s reasoning wasn’t about spectacle alone. He described signing McGregor to MVP as a way to recognize his value and push for a payday he believes would finally land inside the boundaries that have historically shaped his earnings.
“That’s to try to make Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz and ensure they get the vast majority of the revenue. Conor’s biggest payday of his career by far is fighting Floyd Mayweather. The one time he wasn’t within the framework and pay system of his current employer. 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.”.
So where does that leave the actual fight plans? Right now, the idea is still hypothetical. As things stand, there are no confirmed updates on McGregor coming to MVP—or on any possibility of him fighting Jake Paul—after the UFC return is scheduled to begin against Holloway at UFC 329.
The moment, however, is already loaded. White’s announcement puts McGregor back in the UFC spotlight. while Bidarian’s remarks make it clear that if the sport’s contract chessboard ever shifts. MVP’s co-founder believes it could be the start of something bigger than another matchup—one that could pull Conor McGregor and Jake Paul into the same ring. in more than one discipline.
Conor McGregor UFC 329 Max Holloway Dana White MVP Nakisa Bidarian Jake Paul boxing and MMA Ronda Rousey T-Mobile Arena May 16 2026