After a disastrous year inside the Octagon , former two world champion and Irish superstar , Conor McGregor is edging closer to a return after his scary leg break against Dustin Poirier last July . Now only having 1 win in the past 5 years , he was once considered unbeatable and untouchable but legal troubles outside the cage and a string of definitive losses inside the cage including a knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring . Can he ever reach the summit of MMA again ?
Many believe it is McGregor`s lack of hunger and focus that is to blame for his decline . After topping the Forbes list in 2021 beating out stars like LeBron James , Lionel Messi , Tom Brady and Cristiano Ronaldo to number one spot . According to his own Instagram post he earned a staggering $8.4m PER ACTIVE SPORTING MINUTE . Business ventures like his Black Forge pub and Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey brand are just the tip of the iceberg with his McGregor Fast sport and fitness scheme and August McGregor clothing line all drawing in huge numbers , many question his desire to win with such astronomical amounts of money . This is a common occurrence in athletes , they spend their whole lives fighting for goal then when they reach it they fall off . It is hard to wake up for a 4am run when you sleep in silk sheets .
Poor opponent choice / taking the hard route may also be a reason for his accumulating losses . Conor has never been one to take the easy way out and is a fighters fighter who loves a challenge so going 10 rounds with the greatest boxer of all time in Floyd Mayweather shouldn’t be discredited . He then returned to at the time 26-0 Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov who was the greatest wrestler ( McGregor`s Achilles heel ) to step in the UFC . The bitter rivalry ended with a submission loss after being dominated on the floor. A 40 second knockout of legend Cowboy Cerrone was short lived as the pandemic stunted his “season” and intended activity . He returned a year later in a rematch against Dustin Poirier in which whom he had already beaten easily in minutes back in 2014, the only problem was that Poirier had improved miles and was killing the heavier Lightweight division . He lost by knockout for the first time in his UFC career . Later in the year the trilogy fight was set and he lost again this time by leg break at the end of the first .
Video Credits : UFC and BT Sport
Ultimately if McGregor can ease into the big fight first with fights against lower ranked opponents then he might be in a better position to win .
So . Can he reach the heights of Champ Champ Conor ? Can he perform and become the man that dismantled Eddie Alvarez and flatlined in 13 seconds unbeaten for 10 years Jose Aldo ? The answer is … you are crazy if you think he can`t . The odds are slim yes. There are so many amazing fighters at Lightweight these days that are also terrible match ups for him . This is The Notorious Conor McGregor we are talking about though and he has done a lot crazier and won against all odds many time before .
Its not known what is in store for his next fight . Maybe a 4th fight against Dustin . A trilogy bout with fan favorite Nate Diaz or even crazier in the jumping the queue and fighting current champion Charles Oliveria . His best route would be to work his way up again choosing good match ups along the way which then would regain his sharpness and ready him for the tough fights.
Who knows where or what Conor McGregor will do next but its certain that the world will be tuned in and don`t be surprised if we see the Return of the Mac .