McGregor vows to break his own records in final UFC contract fight after mocking Canelo's numbers

Conor McGregor has publicly questioned the viewership, attendance and gate receipts of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s WBC super middleweight title win over Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, claiming he outsells every major combat sports star — and that he does so without even trying.

Alvarez reclaimed the WBC super middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Mbilli on Saturday. McGregor responded on X by challenging the event’s commercial performance and positioning himself as the sport’s premier draw.

“How many views did the Canelo fight get?” McGregor wrote. “How many in attendance? Gate? Man, I outdo ALL of these people in sales. Majorly. EVERY SINGLE ONE. With ease. Maybe even combined. I don’t even be trying. I was on the same time as the World Cup semifinal and still done all them numbers in that last bullsh*t that I’ve to sit with for another few months before I return. 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.”

The post marks a notable shift in tone from McGregor, who has historically let his fights sell themselves. He says his next UFC appearance will be accompanied by a deliberate promotional campaign — something he suggests his recent return lacked.

McGregor (22-7) came back from a five-year absence to face Max Holloway in July, but the fight lasted just 69 seconds. He suffered a knee injury while throwing his opening kick and was stopped by technical knockout, a result he referenced in his post as something he has had to “sit with” in the months since.

Despite the loss, McGregor remains one of the most commercially significant figures in MMA history. His claim to outperform rivals even without promotional effort is consistent with his track record — his bouts have repeatedly broken pay-per-view and gate records across both UFC and boxing crossover events.

With McGregor now framing his next fight as the final bout of his UFC contract, the stakes around his return extend well beyond the result inside the Octagon.