Conor McGregor's nightmare 2025 as questions remain following another year without a fight

So many questions surround Conor McGregor's UFC future

By: irishmirror.ie

Dec 25 2024
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Conor McGregor's nightmare 202

Conor McGregor was expected to return to the Octagon in 2024, but once again another year has passed without the Dubliner stepping foot in the cage.

So many questions surround his future. Will he fight again? How much more has he got left to give? Has the UFC moved on?

McGregor is a far cry from the fighter that would precisely predict when he would finish a bout. From 2014 until 2016... that was peak McGregor. It really was a case of you just had to be there. Every time the 36-year-old stepped foot inside the glittering cage, he would always put on a show, reports The Mirror.

While the Jose Aldo fight was quite simply mesmerising, the Eddie Alvarez blockbuster lightweight showdown was a real turning point in the history of the UFC. In what was a one-sided contest, 'The Notorious' well and truly put the sport on the map for what he did at the MSG. Even the non MMA purists were singing his praises.

Sadly, that was the last top McGregor performance. A boxing showdown with Floyd Mayweather was followed by a brutal defeat to bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov. His last win inside the cage came four years ago against UFC veteran, Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone. The knockout was impressive, but it just didn't have that feel to it. The Irishman then reignited his rivalry with former dance partner Dustin Poirier three years ago. After suffering a devastating knockout in the Middle East, the MMA icon was itching to exact his revenge just a few months later. On the biggest stage, he crumbled when the lights were at its brightest - suffering an agonising loss in the first round, breaking his leg in the process.

The 36-year-old hasn't been since. He was expected to fight former Bellator champion Michael Chandler in his comeback to the UFC, but pulled out of his UFC 303 clash earlier this year due to an injury. Despite being active on social media, calling out stars in the sport - McGregor is yet to have a fight booked and it's a real possibility that we won't see him in action again and that he could retire in 2025.

The Irishman star still hopes to settle his beef with Chandler, but UFC boss Dana White has insisted no decision has been made about his next opponent. “I’d like it to be Chandler,” McGregor said about his UFC return ahead of Anthony Joshua’s loss to Daniel Dubois in September. “I’d like that to be squared away. I wish him well against Oliveira, but let’s see how it goes.” White always anticipated that the 36-year-old would return next year. When asked if McGregor will fight again, he replied: “Yes. I wasn’t 100 per cent in 2024, but I am in 2025. I just am. I know more than you guys know. I’m 100 per cent confident McGregor will fight next year."

McGregor claimed he is in talks with the richest family in Asia over a boxing exhibition bout with Logan Paul in 2025. In a post uploaded to X - formerly known as Twitter- he said: "The rumours of a bout with Topuria are false. I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. I have agreed. I will then seek my return to the Octagon." Most of his callouts have been rather tongue and cheek, however, so we can only take his words with a pinch of salt.

Although Celebrity Net Worth have estimated the Irishman's fortune at around £160 million, his multiple business ventures and fighting career are likely to mean his paydays are lucrative. When McGregor took on Floyd Mayweather Jr in August 2017, he's reported to have raked in upwards of £100m alone.

The fighter himself doesn't shy away from the topic when discussing his vast fortune. In an interview with the Irish Mirror in 2023, he said: "I'm closing in on a billion now. I think I'm at about $650m (£520m) all in I've made. I think they (Forbes) estimate that. I'd have to probably do my own little check of that. But I fancy my chances, I fancy my chances of getting up that list."

So, with all the cash he still has in the back, the Irishman's fight with Poirier may well have been the last we've seen of McGregor in the cage. With 'The Notorious' floating at around 150lbs, the division is the strongest it's been for quite some time. With Islam Makhachev the current champion, it'll take some doing to dethrone the dangerous Dagestani - who continues to improve with every fight.

Given how severe his injury was three years ago, the Irishman may be a tad hesitant to throw a kick again. Look at Chris Weidman. The former middleweight champion lay face down in agony, trying to understand the severity of his injury, after he broke his leg just 17 seconds into his clash with Uriah Hall in 2021. While he's fought since, he just hasn't been the same and has even admitted himself that he doesn't know if he'll get over the break.

Recent reports would suggest that McGregor is planning on moving away from his beloved Ireland to live in the United States. With how much he's amassed over the past decade, maybe this is the perfect scenario for him to ride off into the sunset and enjoy the retirement life with his loved ones. The 36-year-old's head clearly isn't in the fight game anymore, and with the millions he's got in the bank account, it would come as no surprise if he never graced us with his presence inside the cage again.

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