UFC legend Chael Sonnen is beginning to believe Conor McGregor will never make his return to the octagon.
The former two-weight world champion has maintained for the past three years that he is working towards another fight, but it has yet to materialise. He suffered a gruesome broken leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in the summer of 2021, and has been unable to secure a date for a fight since.
But he has also never stopped enjoying his life, and is infamous for partying into the early hours of the morning. And now that he is one of MMA’s richest men, Sonnen believes he will never return to the fight game.
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Chael Sonnen claims it was ‘foolish’ to expect Conor McGregor comeback
Former world title challenger Chael Sonnen claims that with every passing day, he feels expecting a Conor McGregor comeback becomes more ‘foolish’. Speaking on his show Good Guy/Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier on ESPN, he noted that the Irishman seems more interested in other endeavors.
“I don’t know what to make of Conor,” he noted. “We’re looking foolish at this point by continuing to act as though he’s going to come back, the truth is, the night he went down broken in two against Dustin Poirier, it was unlikely he was going to return.
“When he got other opportunities. Selling the whiskey brand, and finding himself in movies with Jake Gyllenhaal, it was unlikely that Conor was going to return.”
McGregor had inked a return to action for this summer, with a date booked in June for him to face Michael Chandler. Tickets had even been sold and gate records broken, but days before the event was to be launched with an unprecedented Dublin press conference he was injured.
It emerged that he had suffered a broken toe, and that he would be unable to compete as a result. But Sonnen doesn’t fancy that excuse, adding: “He got a stubbed pinky toe, that may or may not be broken and may or may not belong to him.
“When he walked away from a press conference in his hometown. And didn’t show up to UFC 303, it was unlikely. Even baseball tells you three strikes, you’re out. At some point, we all have to accept this and move on.”
Conor McGregor heads to America for training ahead of potential return to action
In recent days, McGregor has been spotted around America engaging in a number of his business ventures. He was ringside at a BKFC event, where he is part owner, and he has been spotted at multiple pubs pouring pints of his Forged Stout.
But he has also been training, sharing footage of himself sparring with boxing prospect Sean O’Bradaigh who is one of the top ranked light-heavyweights in America. And UFC boss Dana White seemed positive about his chances, telling media yesterday that he is eager to fight again soon.
“Whenever Conor is ready he comes back,” White told reporters and fans at a Q&A session in Dublin yesterday. “He hit me up last night when he heard that I was here and he’s in New York right now and he is training.”
Conor McGregor’s opponent books new fight as comeback takes another hit
It appeared that disaster was striking for McGregor last week when it was announced that his long-time rival Michael Chandler would be moving on from their unscheduled bout. The pair signed up to fight each other as long ago as February of last year, with the American last fighting almost two years ago.
When their fight was repeatedly pushed back, Chandler stuck with the plan until eventually deciding to go another direction. He now faces Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in November, almost two years to the day since his last outing.
Now, McGregor’s next opponent is undecided. However, Chandler has insisted that he is still interested in the matchup, and is simply betting on himself to beat the Brazilian in a rematch that would also put him back among the top contenders at lightweight.
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