Conor McGregor gives five-word reaction to UFC’s $7.7 billion change which could see him keep epic record forever

Conor McGregor will remain the UFC’s pay-per-view king forever following a monumental announcement.

On Monday, UFC CEO Dana White revealed the promotion had landed a seven-year $7.7 billion deal with Paramount to exclusively distribute all UFC events in the United States from 2026.

@thenotoriousmma - Instagram

The deal will mark the end of the UFC‘s PPV model under its previous rights holders, ESPN.

Starting next year, American fans now only need access to Paramount+ to watch every UFC event.

The change means that the promotion’s current record books, detailing its highest-selling PPV cards of all time, are seemingly set in stone forever.

And the man who appears in all seven of the organisation’s biggest-ever events couldn’t be happier.

“Long live the Irish king,” McGregor wrote on Instagram, responding to a graphic showing his role in generating over $1 billion in combined PPV buys in his 14-fight UFC career.

“All McGregor,” he added in a follow-up post that suggested the same thing.

Regardless of what he’s gone on to do, there’s no denying McGregor’s status as the undisputed PPV king of MMA’s premier promotion.

What is the highest-selling UFC PPV ever?

McGregor’s 2018 bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 remains the highest-selling PPV card in promotional history.

According to Tapology, only Oscar De la Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather, McGregor’s 2017 boxing match with Mayweather, and Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao rank higher on the list of most PPV buys across combat sports.

The next six UFC events on the list were all headlined by McGregor, too.

UFC cards with most PPV buys

'All McGregor'

• UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor – 2.4m
• UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2 – 1.6m
• UFC 202: Diaz vs McGregor 2 – 1.6m
• UFC 264: Poirier vs McGregor 3 – 1.5m
• UFC 246: McGregor vs Cerrone 1.35m
• UFC 196: McGregor vs Diaz – 1.32m
• UFC 205: Alvarez vs McGregor – 1.3m

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The Irishman’s last two fights in the promotion, both against Dustin Poirier in 2021, feature high up on the list.

McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy bout with Poirier in July of that year, which followed his second-round loss to ‘The Diamond’ in their rematch six months prior.

The 37-year-old bounced back from his famous defeat to Khabib in 2018 by stopping Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds at UFC 246, which is also among the promotion’s highest-selling cards, generating over 1.35 million PPV buys.

Also part of the UFC’s PPV catalogue are McGregor’s two famous bouts with Nate Diaz.

McGregor suffered the first defeat of his UFC career to Diaz at UFC 196 in March 2016, before avenging the defeat by outpointing ‘The Stockton slugger’ in their rematch five months later.

‘The Notorious’ then became the promotion’s first-ever fighter to hold two belts simultaneously, with an incredible knockout win over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November of the same year.

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Now, he is planning to return at the UFC White House card in July 2026.

US President Donald Trump announced last month that he plans to stage an event at his official residence as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations next year.

McGregor has since teased his comeback to fight on the card, fuelling speculation by sharing news that he had given his first drug test sample — a mandatory step for all fighters to contest a bout in the UFC.

He is set to be joined on the card by former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones, who officially re-entered the UFC’s anti-doping programme last week.

However, some respected members of the MMA world, including former UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, aren’t too excited by McGregor’s return based on recent training footage.

Cyborg laughed at a recent video posted by McGregor that showed him back in training, while others were left doubting the ability of the Irishman years on from his last outing.