Conor McGregor doesn’t need to fight.
It’s been pretty well documented that the former two-division UFC champion is wealthy enough to live 10 more lifetimes without ever needing another dime to his bank account yet he’s still coming back to coach the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will then lead to a showdown against Michael Chandler.
By the time McGregor fights again, more than two years will have passed since he last competed and this will be just the latest in a long line of layoffs he’s experienced since pausing his MMA career to pursue a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
If McGregor falls to Chandler, that would also serve as his third loss in a row and drop his record to 1-4 in his past five fights, which dates back nearly five years. That’s why UFC welterweight Matt Brown can’t help but wonder if one more loss might signify the end of McGregor’s run in the sport.
“I have a hard time seeing [Conor] fighting again if he comes back and he loses, especially a bad loss like that,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. He doesn’t need [fight again].. He’s coming back because he loves fighting and he wants to put on a show and he wants to be a champion again, I’m sure.
“I can’t imagine him having the motivation to fight again if he comes back and gets knocked out by Michael Chandler.”
Brown admits that he’s admired McGregor and his fighting ability over the years, which is why he expects the Irish superstar to pour everything into his training and preparation to get ready for Chandler.
What concerns him most, however, is that McGregor has missed so much time in recent years and he’s coming back from a devastating injury after suffering a broken leg in his last fight against Dustin Poirier back in 2021.
“I expect Conor to come back strong,” Brown explained. He’ll look amazing, I think. Conor is a great guy and I am excited to meet him again. He’s grown up here over the years, and he has been exempt from the USADA pool. All of this will be beneficial for him.
” The only problem is that he hasn’t fought. We all talk about ring rust all the time. Some people say it’s not real, some say it is and there’s different debates and opinions on that but when you’re out as long as Conor’s been out, dealing with what he’s been going through and then he came back after a long layoff. His inactivity has been his downfall for the last few years. Chandler’s been very active so he’s going to have a huge advantage straight up off of that.”
Brown believes that McGregor’s ability to draw is likely to be reduced if Chandler loses because eventually, paying customers will lose interest.
“I think he loses some dollar value there, too, to be honest,” Brown said. “He’s always been the red panty night guy. He’s the money fight. He comes back and loses again, I don’t see his dollar value being quite as high.”
The other problem McGregor could face with another loss would be the lack of opposition worthy of his attention that would also drum up interest for a major pay-per-view broadcast.
It’s well-documented that McGregor gets a large payday when he competes, but if Chandler loses to McGregor, McGregor would likely be offered a three-fight series against his past foe Nate Diaz. He’s not on the UFC roster.
“If he comes back and loses to Chandler does Nate [Diaz] even care about that fight now?” Brown said. Brown said, “He has way too many choices even if the UFC signs him back.” He’s got a lot of options for big fights. He’s also the richest man. He doesn’t need Conor as much as he did before.
“Conor might be in need of him, so maybe he accepts the fight. But to be fair, I doubt he really needs it. Conor is coming off another loss
Although Brown feels confident McGregor will beat Chandler in an all-out fight, this isn’t a matchup that can be done without outside influences.
Instead, McGregor will be competing for the first time in over two years against a savage in Chandler, who has no problem taking a punch to give one back, and that might just spell disaster for “The Notorious.”
“If Conor was active, I would probably favor him pretty heavily in this fight,” Brown said. He is so inactive that it balances out with Chandler being active. Chandler has rocked everyone he has fought in UFC. Wins or lose, he rocks you and he’s probably learning from those lessons and getting better at it.
” I think that [Chandler] will do that. This could be Conor’s fight, and we won’t see him again. He might send Conor into retirement.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/13/23588989/matt-brown-michael-chandler-might-send-conor-mcgregor-into-retirement-if-he-knocks-him-out?rand=96749
