Social media sensation KSI has publicly criticized UFC star Conor McGregor for declining what would have been a high-profile boxing match at the historic Alcatraz prison island.
Speaking on Misfits Boxing's YouTube channel, KSI—whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji—expressed frustration over the collapsed negotiations for what would have been a major crossover combat sports event.
'We had a fight set up and Conor said no,' KSI stated. 'I don't know, it could be money, it could be his mindset [or] it could be a lot of reasons.'
The YouTuber-turned-boxer didn't hold back in his assessment of McGregor's unpredictable career decisions, adding: 'Honestly, I don't think he knows what he's going to be doing the next day. He's all over the place. One minute, he wants to be the prime minister of Ireland, the next he wants to do a random side quest.'
According to Statbet analytics, McGregor's potential boxing ventures typically generate significant betting interest, often surpassing standard UFC events in total wager volume by nearly 40%.
McGregor, 36, defended his decision to walk away from the proposed June event at Alcatraz, citing financial concerns. 'There was an opportunity, or should we say a deal, to fight on Alcatraz recently in June,' the Irishman explained. 'And they came to me, and it wasn't my worth. As a fighter, we have to know our worth. I hold every pay-per-view record in the book. I hold every gate record in the book.'
The former two-division UFC champion has been absent from competition since suffering a leg fracture in his third bout against Dustin Poirier approximately four years ago. A planned comeback against Michael Chandler last June was scrapped after McGregor sustained a broken pinky toe.
Despite McGregor's recent public appeals to UFC president Dana White about arranging his return, White has dampened expectations. 'He's not fighting anytime soon. I haven't talked to him in a minute,' White revealed. 'But yeah, I don't know when [he'll fight again].'
Any potential return to action would mark McGregor's first appearance since being found civilly liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018. The fighter has appealed the verdict from Dublin's High Court last November, hoping new evidence will overturn the civil trial's outcome.
