Conor McGregor has been told he’ll never fight again by a UFC legend (Image: Zuffa LLC)
Chael Sonnen, a former UFC title contender, has cast doubt on the return of , the ex-dual-weight world champion, to the cage.
McGregor, also known as ‘The Notorious’, hasn’t fought since he broke his leg during a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021. He was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight world champion, last year, but had to withdraw due to an injury sustained during training.
Recently, he hinted at a UFC comeback date to WWE star Logan Paul. During a heated exchange, Paul criticised McGregor’s recent lack of UFC fights, saying: “You can’t even do your main job. How are you going to do a side job?” In response, McGregor told the 29 year old to watch out for a November date, saying: “That’s a good one,” before adding: “November, stay tuned”.
Despite McGregor’s plans to return to the cage, Sonnen expressed his scepticism to Ariel Helwani, stating: “He pulled out of his last fight which was a record gate. He beat all of his own gate records. They had $25million (£20m) waiting for them for the live gate and still had $2million (£1.6m) worth of tickets to sell.”
“He pulled out of a press conference where they took an American company to Ireland, played the video game like everybody had set up shop. I mean, it’s a big deal to leave them hanging right there. The official reason he did that was for a discoloured pinky toe which may or may not be broken and may or may not be his. He didn’t take a picture of himself with the toe. He took a picture of a toe and posted it online. It was discoloured red and purple and I’m sure it was very sore. But with no evidence that it was broken, or even any evidence that it was even his. If you pull out of a fight because of a discoloured pinky toe that may or may not be yours, that may or may not be broken, you’re not fighting again. It’s just the truth.”
Earlier this week, ‘The Notorious’ was . This shocking incident occurred when a fan shouted support for McGregor’s long-time rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov. In the footage, McGregor is seen strolling through a shopping centre when a fan yells “Let’s go Khabib!” Upon hearing this, the 36 year old Irishman couldn’t resist responding. He turned around and confronted the individual, with a spitting sound heard shortly after. As McGregor walked away, he was heard saying: “I spit in your face, what do you do? Nothing.” The location and date of the video remain unknown.
Sonnen also compared McGregor’s situation to that of Chris Weidman. “Whatever adult allows Conor McGregor to return with the same exact injury that Chris Weidman had,” he said. “Chris Weidman being possibly the most disciplined guy in the sport, Conor being the most undisciplined guy in the sport.”
“Chris Weidman doing everything right, from rehab to taking his time to focusing to being at home at night and going to bed and getting rest on his leg. He did everything right, and did not return as somebody that could follow the basic rule, which was to protect himself at all times. Right? ” “That hindered, repaired leg was that big of an obstacle. But we’re supposed to believe that Conor not only can return from the same thing, he can return better? And we know we think he’s going to be better, because we’re not booking him in three-round fights. We’re booking him exclusively in five-round main events, so he is going to have to perform at a much higher level than ‘The All-American.'”.
“The laws of logic disqualify that. The basic rule is protect yourself at all times. Conor McGregor is not in a position with anybody under contract at the UFC to protect himself at all times. It’s a silly proposition, and that is just the truth. That is just the truth. There’s not another way to say it. I also want in on the Conor business. I also want to cover him and have him back, and it’s different when he’s there. I acknowledge the fun. But if you’re talking about any level of responsibility, you can’t book him – and you definitely can’t book him in a five-round fight. That’s insane.”