McGregor vows to break his own PPV records in 2027 UFC contract finale

Conor McGregor has pledged to make his long-awaited return from knee surgery the biggest pay-per-view event of his career, targeting International Fight Week 2027 for what he describes as the final fight on his current UFC contract. The former two-division champion made the promise on social media after watching Canelo Alvarez draw widespread attention for his win over Christian Mbilli on Saturday.

McGregor used Canelo’s night as a springboard to assert his own commercial dominance, questioning the Mexican star’s gate receipts, attendance figures, and streaming numbers. “Man I outdo ALL of these people in sales. Majorly. EVERY SINGLE ONE. With ease. Maybe even combined. I don’t even be trying,” McGregor wrote. He went further, claiming his last fight — the UFC 303 bout against Michael Chandler in June 2024, which ended in a no-contest after McGregor broke his toe — still generated enormous numbers despite the unsatisfying outcome.

“I’m going to actually try to sell the fight for my next one. My final fight. See what numbers I can generate. Keep outdoing my own records,” he added.

The boast carries some statistical weight. McGregor already holds the UFC record for pay-per-view sales, with his 2018 submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 topping the promotion’s all-time list. His 2017 boxing crossover against Floyd Mayweather also ranks among the highest-selling combat sports events in history, behind only Mayweather’s 2015 clash with Manny Pacquiao.

McGregor has been sidelined since the Chandler fight, undergoing ACL surgery on the knee he injured during that contest. A return to competition in 2027 would mean more than two and a half years away from the octagon — a prolonged absence that has fuelled persistent questions about whether he will compete again at all.

His comments suggest he is not only planning to fight but intends to treat the occasion as a commercial event in its own right, separate from any athletic preparation. Whether the UFC and the wider market respond with the same enthusiasm they once did remains to be seen, but McGregor’s confidence in his own drawing power appears undimmed.