Conor McGregor has revealed that the UFC scuppered his plans to face YouTuber Logan Paul in a boxing match.

In December, McGregor, 36, who has not fought since suffering a leg break during a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, revealed he was in talks with the Ambani family about fighting Paul in India.

But ahead of UFC 311 last week, CEO Dana White ruled out the possibility of the Irishman being released from his UFC contract to fight Paul and reaffirmed his hope that the former two-weight champion would return to the octagon by the end of 2025.

READ MORE: Man charged with possession of an offensive weapon and ammunition for a firearm

READ MORE: Sir Rod Stewart's heartbreaking request to wife Penny during devastating split

Then, earlier this week, when McGregor met with the YouTube influencer before Donald Trump's inauguration as US President, he accused him of not pushing hard enough to get a bout between the pair over the line.

Now, McGregor has shed new light on why a bout with Paul could not materialise, despite the UFC and WWE both being owned by the TKO Group Holdings.

“The UFC just aren’t into it. The offer was there on the table, in writing, both ‘athletes’ we’ll say - he’s not a fighter – are under the TKO banner," McGregor told The Schmo.

"UFC and WWE both rising up, the stock price of TKO Holding Group through the roof, a new market opened up in India and booming, it was business savvy and business sense to make the fight happen - or should I say the glorified spar happen.

"And in between this wait, this waiting period we find ourselves in before I can get back to the octagon, it made perfect sense on the calendar to go ahead with it. The UFC weren't into it. I'm not sure what the WWE's interest was. I just knew the UFC weren't into it.

"Logan, just kept quiet. He didn't say anything. I was like, 'Mate, you need to say something. You need to open your F*****g mouth.

"I wasn't talking to him directly. He put up this video and edited it like I sent him a voice note, I was talking to the f*****g crowd, that was the Ambani Royal Family of India, and then they were sending it to him, basically trying to get him to get going. I had no problem doing that."

Asked if he had plans to fight other YouTube personalities, McGregor revealed that although he only had his eye on a bout with Logan Paul, he would welcome the opportunity to earn "astronomical money" to fight Jake Paul or KSI.

"It was always Logan. Two TKO fighters. The Ambani family and the advisors for them were shrewd and understood that I was a UFC fighter and he is in the WWE, to get one without the other would be difficult - so it was always Logan," added McGregor.

"I like it. I'm more inclined to this influencer [boxing] - f*****g whatever you call it - because it's astronomical money, astronomical the figures. You know, who is it, Jake, Logan and KSI - I like the three of these guys - and then all the others who are tussling around. It's an interesting little side-pocket branch, we'll call it. Stuff the doe in my sock, and out I go."

McGregor was scheduled to return to the UFC against Michael Chandler last June but pulled out after suffering a toe injury.

The Irishman has two fights remaining on his deal with the promotion.

In November, a civil court jury in Ireland ordered the MMA star to pay damages to a woman who said she was “brutally raped and battered" by McGregor in 2018.