Conor McGregor signs six-fight deal with UFC, including sponsorship arrangement

McGregor will fight inside the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years on Oct. 6

Conor McGregor's return from a two-year layoff will not be a one-time affair for UFC and its biggest star.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to ESPN after Thursday's UFC 229 press conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York that McGregor (21-3) has signed a new six-fight deal with the promotion. White initially told reporters that the deal was for eight fights, but later corrected himself.

The 30-year-old McGregor was his usual circus self during the press conference as he did his best to clown and alienate current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0) in a performance that likely did wonders to hype their Oct. 6 bout in Las Vegas.

McGregor, the biggest pay-per-view draw in mixed martial arts history, returns for his first trip to the Octagon since 2016 in a grudge match against Nurmagomedov that is expected to shatter the previous UFC pay-per-view record of 1.6 million buys from McGregor's victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 202.

The promotion for the fight has routinely played up an April 5 incident at UFC 223 in Brooklyn when McGregor attacked a bus which included Nurmagomedov and threw a dolly through the window, injuring four people. Although McGregor avoided jail time following a felony arrest due to a plea bargain, footage of the incident continues to be part of pre-fight video packages.

White told ESPN that UFC 229 is trending toward 2.5 million buys. It's a number that is likely bolstered by McGregor's appearance in a professional boxing match last August against Floyd Mayweather that sold 4.4 million buys and netted McGregor an estimated $100 million.

"It's not hard to do a deal with Conor McGregor because we know what he's worth," White told ESPN.

Although terms of McGregor's new deal were not disclosed, it was revealed at the press conference that the fighter's new whiskey, "Proper Twelve," would be a sponsor of every UFC event in which McGregor fights with signage on the canvas of the Octagon.

"You bet your bollocks it is," McGregor said. "On the canvas. On the canvas. Like [Nurmagomedov's] blood will be on the canvas."