With Conor McGregor jumping into politics, his fighting career may be over. Former multiple-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has been saying that McGregor will not fight again since the Irishman pulled out of his UFC 303 bout against Michael Chandler last June.
“Can we officially call Conor McGregor done as a UFC fighter,” Sonnen questioned on his YouTube channel.
“I do find myself, for a guy that is declaring Conor retired, I did declare (him retired). I remember where I was. I was in Brazil getting ready to box Anderson Silva in June of last year when Conor pulled out of his fight with Chandler. And the very first thing I came on and told you guys is, ‘pulling out of his fight with Chandler was akin to announcing retirement. He will not be rebooked.’
“He was just booked. If he was to come back to the table, everything he could ask for, everything that he could get contracts for, everything they could sign and do, they already did. They did all of them,” continued Sonnen.
McGregor last fought in July 2021, losing to Dustin Poirier in the UFC 264 main event after suffering a broken leg at the end of the opening round. McGregor’s reputation may have taken a hit in recent years with his antics outside of the ring and legal losses in court including being found liable of sexual assault in November, but his likely still the biggest draw in the sport.
“The industry is stronger when Conor is present,” said Sonnen. “I’m not declaring that the company wouldn’t book him. I’m not declaring the the still can’t command and still drive and that the world would not be interested. I just feel he is making it very clear to us that he is not interested.”
Chael Sonnen: ‘Conor McGregor has no interest in politics’
Following a St. Patrick’s Day White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, McGregor announced his intentions to run for President of Ireland. Irish politicians haven’t been welcoming to the fighter turned politician’s presidential aspirations. But Sonnen doesn’t believe McGregor has any interest in politics.
“Conor is a narcissist. I understand this because I am a narcissist. I know what I’m looking at. But a narcissist has to have what is known as a narcissistic supply, which means I need a level of attention to feed me. Where am I going to get that? Where am I going to get that supply? And a great place that most athletes go to is social media. They can do it from home. They can do it from anywhere. They can put something out and get something back. It’s interactive. It feeds that supply. So when Conor makes statements, you have to take that into consideration,” Sonnen explained.
“I don’t know that Conor can spell politics. I do know he has absolutely no interests in politics. But for the last four days he’s been going to be the President of Ireland,” continued Sonnen. “From what I’m told, the one place in the world that does not like him is the place that he’s going to be president. I mean, this is silly. Right? We’re just being silly. Bu it feeds a narcissistic supply, so you can take it with a little bit of a grain of salt.”
