Did Conor McGregor lose his identity as a fighter years ago?
McGregor hasnt fought inside the Octagon since UFC 264, which took place on July 10, 2021. McGregor broke his leg in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. He had been scheduled to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in 2024, but the Notorious one pulled out of the fight due to an injury. The bout was never rebooked, but McGregor continues to tease a return to competition.
Ex-UFC bruiser Matt Brown took to MMAFightings The Fighter vs. The Writer to share his belief that McGregors identity as a fighter was shattered in his last two fights against The Diamond.
Now his identity kind of got ripped apart by Dustin Poirier, Brown explained. Dustin took his soul. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] probably first, but Dustin kind of put the nail in the coffin on that.
Now hes not a winner with that identity. Now hes not even competing anymore. Thats a lot to deal with for anyone. So youve got to have a little bit of sympathy on that side. It is a lot to deal with.
Brown wouldnt be surprised if McGregor is in a situation where he isnt so sure what to do next, so hes now using his past fighting days as a crutch.
Hes probably in a situation where he retired where hes like Ive got all this money, what the f*ck do I do now? Brown said. Ive never had that much money like I have to say that out loud just in case you were wondering, I havent had that much money yet but I know very, very wealthy people that talk about that. Like once you make a certain amount of money, your purpose in life becomes a little bit more difficult to find.
Whether or not Conor McGregor actually steps back inside the Octagon is anyones guess. The former two-division UFC champion has now been away from competition for four years and he isnt getting any younger.
