Conor McGregor is nearly four years removed from his last appearance in the UFC, and his latest comments make it appear that his fighting days might really be over.
Appearing at a recent BKFC event in Florida, the former two-division UFC champion confirmed that he passed on a comeback fight opportunity while turning his attention to running for the presidency in his home nation of Ireland. McGregor also added “I’m happy with what I’ve done,” which sounds more like a farewell speech than one hinting at an eventual return to action.
While these latest comments seem to hint at McGregor being done with fighting, UFC legend Matt Brown says this is something the Irish superstar actually teased when he first became a household name and now he’s just living up to those promises.
“He told us like 10 years ago what he was going to do,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Do you remember him talking about it? ‘I’m going to come in, I’m going to take over, I’m going to make money and then I’m going to get the f*ck out.’
“He said something along the lines of this game is brutal, you don’t want to be in it too long. He told us however many 8 or 10 years ago. He literally told us and he has done it.”
While Brown actually stated a couple of years ago that McGregor was almost certainly never fighting again, he knew the attention and spotlight that comes along with being the biggest draw in UFC history is tough to give up.
That lure kept McGregor on the hook for a potential comeback but Brown says between running for president in Ireland and taking on a role as co-owner in BKFC, he’s found new ways to stay relevant that doesn’t involve him fighting again.
“This is not surprising at all,” Brown said. “He’s just finally, actually [copping to it]. He loves being in the news. He loves staying relevant and putting his two cents into everything. He’s kept his voice out there and we’ve all paid attention and we’re still talking about it.
“He’s done a good job of that. A good job of playing the media. I told you before, he’s done. I think he’s just confirming what we already knew.”
As far as McGregor actually winning a major election in Ireland, many pundits in his home country seem to believe he has little to chance of actually securing a victory but the same thing was said about Donald Trump in the United States.
Unlike the U.S. presidency, the same title in Ireland doesn’t carry anywhere near equal power or responsibility but instead serves more as a figurehead role. In that regard, Brown believes McGregor might actually excel in that position but his sins of the past will almost certainly come back to haunt him when it comes time for people to vote him into office.
“He’s a really good speaker,” Brown said about McGregor. “He’s a very sharp, witty good speaker. His reputation may not be up to par with someone you’d want representing your country but in terms of his speaking ability and who he could be as a person, I bet he would actually be really good at it.
“Unfortunately, he’s kind of ruined his reputation a little bit. Whether or not he actually did the [sexual assaults], he has the allegations, it’s out there. That’s tough to put someone to represent your country. It’s alleged that he did these things. I think that makes it complicated. My point is I think had none of that stuff happened, he’d be f*cking great for it.”
Outside of getting into politics, McGregor has really embraced his role as promoter for BKFC after becoming a co-owner in the bare-knuckle organization. Brown applauds McGregor for his enthusiasm for that sport and it’s another way he’s keeping his name in the headlines that doesn’t involve fighting.
“He’s really good at the BKFC thing,” Brown said. “He’s actually the perfect fit for it. He’s the perfect guy to be doing that. The fans love it. He’s got the mouthpiece for it. He’s got the energy for it. I think it’s great for BFKC. I think it’s a pretty cool sport. I think it’s pretty cool actually.”
Whether it’s building BKFC into one of the biggest combat sports promotions on Earth, or actually winning an election to become President of Ireland, Brown knows that McGregor has a lot keeping him busy right now outside of fighting.
Brown hopes whatever McGregor does keeps him happy because he really has nothing left to prove with his fighting career and maybe “The Notorious” is finally just seeing the writing on the wall for himself.
“I hope that he does a lot of great things and he represents himself well,” Brown said. “Just take care of yourself, represent yourself well and maybe it will help him improve his life. That’s what it’s all about. You only live once.
“He’s not coming back. Am I confirmed yet to just be the correct predicter on this? It wasn’t a difficult one. He told us. I don’t know why nobody listened. He literally told us. He said it and I believe him.”
Listen to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday with audio only versions of the podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio
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