At a relatively young age of 29, Conor McGregor should be at the peak of his physical powers. In compiling a MMA record of 21-3, 9-1 in the UFC, McGregor has scaled heights very few fighters will ever reach. In just over 4 years since McGregor made his UFC debut when he destroyed Marcus Brimage inside a round in 2013, The Notorious One has gone from claiming welfare to earning multi million dollar purses and being the biggest star the sport has ever known.
Apart from the first Diaz fight at UFC 196, where arrogance and complacency almost certainly led McGregor to his first defeat in the UFC, McGregor has been near faultless in the Octagon. The way McGregor beat Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to capture the UFC Featherweight Title will never be forgotten. Aldo remember hadn’t lost a fight in 10 years, a truly unbelievable performance.
At UFC 205, McGregor captured his second UFC title when he was near punch perfect in dismantling Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC Lightweight Title, the Aldo and Alvarez fights are for me, the pinnacle of the career of Conor McGregor, the Irishman is a truly special talent.
But are the signs there, that the McGregor era is coming to an end. We haven’t seen McGregor inside a UFC cage since the Alvarez fight, over a year now, and no definite confirmation a return is imminent.
McGregor has of course earned more millions when he crossed over to the noble art and lost to Floyd Mayweather in August of this year. I said at the time getting McGregor back inside the Octagon would be problematic. Unless McGregor was wiped out quickly or embarrassed by Mayweather, the boxing world would want him back. McGregor of course performed above expectations, and possible fights against the likes of Manny Pacquiao or Paulie Malignaggi are being mooted.
Money is a big motivation for anybody, McGregor probably more than most, and when boxing can offer him much bigger purses than the UFC, there were always going to be problems getting McGregor to fight in the UFC again, it will come at a very high price if it happens.
The signs are there McGregor has lost focus, the unsavoury headlines are appearing, fights in bars, storming a Bellator cage, and then issuing the most feeble of apologies which fooled absolutely nobody, hopefully McGregor isn’t going the same way as Jon Jones.
Money robs people of their hunger, McGregor I fear has lost his. McGregor lived in the gym on his way to the top, he spends far less time in the gym now, living the life and outside obligations restrict his gym time.
The problem with MMA, probably more than any other sport, is you have to keep evolving or you get left behind, Ronda Rousey the best recent example of this.
Its an old saying, but its easier to climb the mountain than to stay on top, McGregor sadly I fear will very soon realise that is so true.
McGregor must for me defend his UFC Lightweight belt next, and against the Interim Champion Tony Ferguson, no more boxing or money fights, when you have held the belt for over a year, you must defend it, something of course he so far has never done, either in the UFC or Cage Warriors.
When you are a champion it comes with obligations, an obligation to defend your belt, as Tony Ferguson quite rightly says, defend or vacate, the UFC has been far too lenient with its number one star, enough is enough.
Conor McGregor has achieved plenty, and hopefully its not one of those stories of achieving plenty but could have achieved so much more.
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35 Responses
He made the sport what it is today…
He has made his money and now plans to get out…he achieved everything he set out for and has nothing more to prove. Can retire a rich man now and spend time watching his baby grow up ?? clever man!
I hope
Hope so I am sick of caring about him
Good read that, but it needs properly subediting.
Ended after moneymay beat him.
You know nuttin!
Calm down mate. Lol
Jason Slattery
What that was a useless read ?
Peter J Christensen
Yeah interesting isn’t it. The comparison to Ronda Rousey probably isn’t far off. If he goes back to the UFC and looses it would be tough. The draw to stay in boxing would be there. He’d fight less, train less and make more money.
Who, is this the guy who fort the money man
He has nothing to prove anymore he beat the best and went 12 rounds with the best boxer of all time what else is there if I was him I would wait till the bigger money fight comes
He nearly went 12 rounds bud?
Karl Fenlon i knew first comment would focus on the 12 round mistake even when you know what the guy ment
He techinally defended his inerim belt when he fought Aldo
I am a fight fan…other than that fuck him, on to the next hard working soldier
Fucking hope so…hes been a disgrace to the sport these past few years.
hell yea. slaughtering top guys on his way up to executing the long defending champ then not even defending the belt and having nerve to go up and execute another champ even heavier then to run off and switch sports just to make 100$ million, fuckin disgraceful !!!!!!!! lol
Yeah and making a mockery of the sport is what it’s all about. Do you hear yourself. Taking drugs and not defending his belts. Yeah that’s really big of the man…its that bad he’s being chased out of Ireland cause hes that much of a champ…wise up.
When was he chased out of Ireland? ???
He being chased at the minute. Read some real news you find out more.
His story came to an end wen he realized Wut mayweather had done to him lmfao
i dont know why?
Boring !!!!! Need a new champ to get the excitement back in the UFC or MMA in general ….
The double champ does what the fuck he wants
Champ? Champ of what? Never defend a belt, said that he would ko Diaz in the first fight and he didn’t, he said that he would finish him in the second fight and he ran away like chicken ? during the whole fight, he said that ufc would need to send an army to take the feather weight belt from him and they toke away from him easily, he said that he would ko floid in the fourth round and he didn’t.. congratulation for him cause he know how to use his mouth and talk to make money, but mcsteroids is ducking kabib and any real challenge, he is a joke inside of the octagon.
Gezza Woodbridge❤️
Looks like it ?
I hope so. The story is old already.
Joe Ross
Yes, he’ll never set foot in the UFC octagon again!!
If that is the case, just give up his title and tell ppl that he’s done
I don’t think McGregor will be in the octagon again, but if he does then McGregor/Diaz 3
Klaas Koesharto