Conor McGregor has not thrown a punch inside the Octagon since July 2021, when Dustin Poirier broke his left leg in the first round of UFC 264. Five years of injuries, legal battles and speculation later, the Notorious is finally back.
UFC 329 tickets for his July 11 rematch against Max Holloway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas sold out in just four minutes, with front-row seats priced as high as $43,000 and upper-level tickets starting at $600. The demand alone confirmed that McGregor’s star power remains untouched.
That box-office gravity made the Netflix angle feel inevitable. The streaming giant had already moved into MMA, and with McGregor approaching free agency, it looked like he would chase a massive payday on their platform. However, BKFC president David Feldman recently dismissed that idea.
Netflix’s MMA Debut Puts Conor McGregor’s Streaming Super Fight on the Table
On May 16, Ronda Rousey, who returned to action after nearly 10 years, submitted Gina Carano via armbar in 17 seconds in the main event of MVP MMA 1, which was Netflix’s first-ever live MMA event.
The blockbuster event averaged 12.4 million viewers globally and peaked at 17 million during Rousey vs. Carano, per Netflix and MVP. Some experts believe viewership could have hit 20 million if the fight had lasted longer than 17 seconds.
Breaking: Ronda Rousey x Gina Carano peaked at 17 million global viewers, per Netflix.
The final three fights averaged 12.4 million viewers.
Domestically, the main card averaged 9.3 million viewers and peaked at 11.6 million during the main event, making it the most-watched MMA… pic.twitter.com/Mnqi8on48Z
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 19, 2026
In the U.S. alone, the card averaged 9.3 million viewers, surpassing the UFC on Fox debut, which peaked at 8.8 million. Netflix proved its live sports model works. Attention immediately turned to who might fight next on the platform and whether the Irishman could blow those numbers completely out of the water.
McGregor has two fights remaining on his current UFC deal and, according to Ariel Helwani, has not shown interest in extending it. So, he could become a free agent as early as 2027. Given Netflix’s success and McGregor’s star power, chatter about a future partnership grew quickly.
David Feldman Shuts Down Netflix Dream
Feldman was a guest on “The Ariel Helwani Show” this week, and he was not subtle about where McGregor’s post-UFC future is headed. The BKFC president said McGregor has personally told him he intends to fight bare-knuckle.
“He could be free in 2027,” Feldman said. “Look, I want him to do what’s best for him, for his career and what he wants to do. I think what he would want to do is help skyrocket a company that he’s involved in. We have talked about that in the past and he said, ‘I’m definitely going to be doing this, I’m definitely fighting bare knuckle.’ I would not be surprised if after his second UFC fight, his third fight then would be in BKFC. I would not be surprised at all.”
McGregor officially became a part-owner of BKFC in April 2024. He announced the deal live via his company, McGregor Sports and Entertainment, during the KnuckleMania 4 broadcast. His third fight will skyrocket the promotion’s profile, making it more futureproof than a single appearance on Netflix.
Ownership Upside Outweighs One Big Netflix Purse for Conor McGregor
A single fight on Netflix is just a one-time paycheck, while fighting in BKFC is an investment. Since the 37-year-old owns a stake in BKFC, his presence directly builds the company’s value. Every time he competes there, he increases the worth of his own asset. That is a much stronger financial incentive than cashing a streaming check and walking away.
Moreover, the sport also fits his public image. Bare-knuckle fighting matches the persona he has spent 15 years building. It offers him a fresh direction instead of just repeating his MMA career.
A massive Netflix crossover fight against someone like Jake Paul could still happen later. However, with his UFC contract running until early 2027 and BKFC already planning his arrival, a streaming deal could be a good backup option rather than the main goal.
