Conor McGregor’s future in mixed martial arts is as mysterious as ever. While he and various members of his team have recently discussed potential scraps with stars like Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz, his recent troubles outside the cage have casted some real doubt on his fighting career.

As it turns out, McGregor’s recent indiscretions outside the cage aren’t the only thing that are likely to hold up his Octagon return. BJPenn.com’s own Chris Taylor has learned that McGregor has some pretty exceptional demands concerning a potential return to the cage. Apparently, the Irish star wants to be certain that no other UFC champions or pay-per-view earning fighters participate on the card that features his comeback. In other words, he’s hoping to keep as much of the pay-per-view pie as he can for himself.

I’m told that part of Conor McGregor’s demands for his next potential UFC fight included that no other champions or pay-per-view-earning athletes would participate on the card. This was again referencing #UFC222 in March.

— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) November 30, 2017

“I’m told that part of Conor McGregor’s demands for his next potential UFC fight included that no other champions or pay-per-view-earning athletes would participate on the card. This was again referencing UFC 222 in March,” Taylor explained in his Tweet. 

Taylor’s intel was subsequently echoed by the ever-reliable Farah Hannoun, who confirmed she’d hear similar whispers.

That’s what @TWooodley was referring to in an interview I saw earlier.. https://t.co/FXQvRXrt6y

— Farah Hannoun (@Farah_Hannoun) November 30, 2017

McGregor’s last contest occurred in the boxing ring, where he came up short in his boxing debut against undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. His next most recent fight, meanwhile, occurred in his former haunts, the UFC’s Octagon, where he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to capture the UFC lightweight title.

Do you think we’ll ever see Conor McGregor back in the Octagon?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 29/11/2017.