Conor McGregor continues to stir the pot with his teasing announcements about a potential boxing match against Logan Paul in India. However, one UFC Hall of Famer, Chael Sonnen, has cast significant doubt on the authenticity of this rumored fight, claiming there is no truth to McGregor’s statements about negotiations and a massive payday.
After McGregor addressed rumors surrounding his return to the UFC, he shocked the world by revealing that he was in talks with the Ambani family, led by Mukesh Ambani — a billionaire who is the richest person in Asia — to arrange a boxing match against Logan Paul in India. McGregor further fueled the buzz by mentioning the possibility of a $250 million payout for the fight. But Sonnen isn’t buying it.
“He is claiming that he is going to get $250 million to go box Logan Paul in India for a billionaire investor who wants to bring attention and tourism to India,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel, “You’ve got to understand Conor is not boxing Logan Paul. There is not a billionaire in India looking to bring people over and change tourism. That is something exclusively done by a government, and that government has done it in one place — and that’s Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.”
Sonnen’s comments raise valid concerns about the feasibility of such a high-profile boxing match in India, especially when it comes to using massive sums of money to boost tourism. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been the go-to destination for major sporting events, with figures like Turki Alalshikh, a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal court, investing heavily to bring global events to the country.
Although Mukesh Ambani is a renowned sports fan and the owner of the Mumbai Indians — an Indian Premier League cricket team — and the founder of the India Super League, a soccer league in India, Sonnen remains skeptical that Ambani would be willing to fork out such an astronomical sum for a fight that doesn’t significantly impact his financial standing or global recognition.
“One thing about a billionaire that is willing to spend that money for whatever the reason is, is that he’s one of the people that don’t like being unknown,” Sonnen explained. “And I will tell you this, if you are really rich but you don’t have fame, that bothers them. The only thing worse is to be really famous and not to be rich.”
Sonnen argues that if Ambani were to truly spend $250 million on such a fight, he would want more recognition than just hosting McGregor and Paul in India. He suggests that Ambani would ensure his name is attached to the deal, getting visibility in exchange for the significant investment.
While McGregor’s potential opponents may not be as restricted as he is, Paul is not under an exclusive contract with WWE outside of professional wrestling. In contrast, McGregor is still under contract with the UFC, which limits his ability to fight outside of the organization without approval. This adds another layer of difficulty in making a McGregor-Paul boxing match a reality, especially with McGregor’s commitment to UFC obligations.
In conclusion, Chael Sonnen believes there’s little to no chance that McGregor and Paul will face off in the boxing ring in 2025. “There’s no truth,” he said. “There’s no India new boxing league. There’s no Conor and Paul. There’s no $250 million. There was no part of the story that was true.”
Despite McGregor’s ongoing teasing of the fight, it seems that fans should not hold their breath for this matchup anytime soon.