Conor McGregor says he is negotiating with Logan Paul about a boxing exhibition in India

Conor McGregor says he is in negotiations to fight Logan Paul in a boxing competition in India.

McGregor said on social media early Tuesday morning that he had made “tentative arrangements” with the family of billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani to fight Paul.

“I agreed,” McGregor said.

McGregor also said that rumors of a possible fight with Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Ilia Topuria were false. McGregor said he would “return to the Octagon” after his boxing show with Paul.

Topuria also denied any speculation that he would fight McGregor.

“The rumors of a fight with Mchicken are false,” Topuria said on social media. “I don’t fight and I’m not interested in fighting a rapist.”

McGregor’s announcement comes less than a month after a civil court jury in Ireland ruled that he must pay nearly 250,000 euros ($257,000) to a woman who said he had her in a Dublin penthouse in December 2018 Hotel “brutally raped and abused”.

Nikita Hand said the attack left her seriously injured and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she made up the allegations after the two had consensual sex.

The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done.

McGregor, 36, was once the UFC’s biggest star, but he has not fought since injuring his leg in a fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He pulled out of a scheduled UFC 303 match with Michael Chandler last June, saying it was later discovered it was due to a broken toe.

Paul is a YouTuber turned boxer. He previously fought, among others, on a show against Floyd Mayweather Jr. His brother Jake Paul won a unanimous decision over 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in Arlington, Texas, last month. The fight between Jake Paul and Tyson was the first live sporting event on Netflix, announcing that the fight was seen in 60 million households.

___

AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports