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Ahead of his UFC 329 bout against Max Holloway next month. Conor McGregor is in New York City making his rounds with the media. McGregor did interviews with Jimmy Fallon, with CBS’s Nate Burleson, and a surprise interview with Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani.

For the real MMA fans and followers of McGregor’s career, the Helwani interview was the most in-depth. McGregor touched on multiple subjects, including his relationship with the UFC, how he got to fighting Max Holloway, and revealing when he’s slated to fight after July.

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On the Ariel Helwani Show, Conor McGregor revealed that after his fight against Max Holloway on July 11th, he already has his next date. It’s safe to say McGregor doesn’t like it.

Conor McGregor said his next fight after UFC 329 is slated for April 2027. McGregor thinks this makes no sense, as now that he’s about to compete once again, McGregor wants to keep himself busy.

After revealing the date, Conor McGregor was clearly frustrated. “It’s almost a year later! That’s ridiculous to me, I think, no? This is the way the contract was done.”

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It’s important to keep in mind that Conor McGregor only has two fights left on his UFC contract. The Irish superstar clearly wants to explore free agency as a prize fighter, but doesn’t want to have his last two fights drag out.

From the UFC’s perspective, keeping Conor McGregor as long as possible makes total sense. The UFC will use McGregor for marketing campaigns and to drive new Paramount+ subscribers going into 2027.

If Conor McGregor beats Max Holloway on July 11^th, the demand for McGregor in the octagon will be as high as it’s ever been. This gives the UFC even more reason to keep McGregor on the UFC roster as long as possible.

The ideal scenario for MMA fans when it comes to Conor McGregor is that he gets a win against Max Holloway and then renegotiates a new multi-fight deal with the UFC. This ensures Conor stays within the UFC, and gives the UFC reason to speed up Conor’s clock and get him back in the cage before 2026 ends.

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