Brendan Schaub thinks Conor McGregor’s UFC return is not only about Max Holloway. He sees contract math, leverage, and a possible race toward one more giant payday outside the Octagon.
On Big Brown Breakdown, Schaub discussed McGregor’s return against Max Holloway before turning to Dana White’s latest defense of UFC fighter pay. McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Holloway, a former UFC featherweight champion, is booked as the opponent for McGregor’s long-awaited comeback.
Schaub first read McGregor’s message about being happy with his UFC deal for the Holloway fight.
“The big fight is coming,” Schaub read from McGregor’s comments. “Let’s cheers to that. The Mac is back, baby. Let’s go. I’m out so long. 5 years. My body’s fresh. My mind is sharp. I’m ready to come back. I’ve got a great opponent. I’ve got a great deal off the UFC. I’m very, very happy they honored me finally.”
Schaub translated that last line directly.
“Meaning he got paid,” Schaub said. “I heard he got 15 mil.”
His co-host added, “That’s what I saw, too. At least 15, right?” Schaub replied, “Yeah. 15 minimum. And that’s for two fights.”
Watch the full episode below:
McGregor’s recent comments on the Holloway rematch are below:
https://x.com/ChampRDS/status/2058748108914176027
Schaub Says McGregor Could Be Racing Toward Free Agency
Schaub said McGregor remains the UFC’s biggest star, but he framed the return as a business play as much as a fight comeback.
“Here’s the thing about Conor,” Schaub said. “Not only is he the biggest star the UFC’s ever had, but he’s also the smartest businessman. So, he’s made the most money for a reason. Not because he’s dumb, not because he’s the best fighter. He made the most money because he’s the best businessman.”
Schaub argued McGregor may have accepted the Holloway fight with the expectation that the UFC keeps him active again quickly.
“The only way he agreed to fight on International Fight Week, he was like, ‘I’ll do it, but you have to fight me again by the end of the year,’” Schaub said.
That matters because Schaub believes McGregor could be trying to burn through the final fights on his UFC deal and reach the open market, where a Nate Diaz trilogy under a Netflix/MVP-style banner could become the obvious money fight.
“Conor fight twice this year just so he can hit the free agency market,” Schaub said. “All he’s doing is taking a page out of the boxers because the boxers, they don’t sign these long-term deals.”
Schaub laid out the possible play.
“Conor’s like, ‘No, no. I know all the money’s on Netflix MVP against Nate. So, do these two. Crank it out fast because Nate’s not getting any younger. And then next year, 2027, I’m going to jump on over to Netflix MVP and make all the bag,’” Schaub said. “That’s why he’s doing it.”
Schaub also said the UFC may be comfortable with a two-fight arrangement because McGregor is expensive and his value could change if the comeback goes badly.
“If he goes 0 and 2, there’s not gonna be a huge market for him,” Schaub said. “There’s not a lot of guys that can keep giving him that are gonna require the UFC to pay him 15 mil.”
Schaub pointed to Diaz as the cleanest exit-ramp fight.
“What’s the one fight he can do and ride off into the sunset, make all the money?” Schaub said. “It’s not that competitive a fight, Nate Diaz.”
Schaub Pushes Back On Dana White’s Fighter Pay Argument
Schaub then turned to White’s recent fighter pay comments. White was asked about criticism of UFC fighter compensation after the promotion’s new Paramount deal, and White compared entry-level UFC pay to what some boxers make early in their careers.
“When people talk about that, you know what they don’t compare it to? What a guy makes when he goes into his first boxing event,” White said. “Some of these guys make a $100 a round in boxing.”
White argued that UFC pay has continued rising since 2001 and will keep climbing if the company keeps winning.
“Since 2001, the pay has gone like this,” White said. “And if you look at the deal that we just cut, like you said, with Paramount, imagine how it’s going to look over the next seven years. Fighter pay has continually gone up every year and it will continue to go up as long as we continue to be successful.”
White then defended the idea that new UFC fighters still have to prove they belong.
“If you come into the UFC, let’s say you sign a three-fight deal, we’re going to find out if you even belong in the UFC,” White said. “So, I should pay you $370,000 to see if you belong in the UFC.”
When asked about the ballpark for first three-fight contracts, White answered, “It’s somewhere between 10 and 10 and 15 and 15.”
Schaub did not buy the logic.
“The difference between UFC and boxing, UFC is a straight monopoly,” Schaub said. “They’re the brand. They’re the NFL. They’re NBA. So that’s why they get push back.”
Schaub said the UFC cannot lean on the “we need to see if they belong” argument when the company already has the Contender Series, The Ultimate Fighter, and enough resources to scout athletes properly.
“That’s what Contender Series or the Ultimate Fighter would be for,” Schaub said. “That’s also why every NFL team, every MLB team, every NBA team has a thing called scouts.”
Schaub’s issue was direct. If the UFC is the top MMA company in the world, it should know more about the fighters it signs before they reach the Octagon.
“Well, f*cking dude. You own the league,” Schaub said. “You should have a staff. You should have some sort of scouts.”
He said the UFC should evaluate fighters before their debut instead of treating the first UFC fight like a blind test drive.
“That’s not a reason not to pay, guys,” Schaub said. “That’s on you.”
Schaub pointed back to Contender Series as the audition system White already controls.
“That’s how many guys are in the UFC now that came from Dana White Contender Series,” Schaub said. “You have a pretty good idea. It’s your show. You saw them in person.”
Schaub closed his point by saying the UFC should operate like other major pro sports when it comes to talent evaluation.
“You shouldn’t be signing guys going, ‘Well, let’s see if they even belong, buddy,’” Schaub said. “You should have a scouting department just like every other major professional sport does across the board.”
McGregor has leverage, so every deal becomes a chess move with a whiskey sponsor. New UFC fighters usually do not, and Schaub thinks the promotion’s “prove you belong” line gets harder to sell when the UFC controls the audition, the contract, and the cage, especially after the Paramount rights deal changed the money conversation.
