McGregor vs. Poirier II.

[Humble Narcissist]

I agree with this. Although he may fight again, the insane hunger that he once had is gone. He was the ruthless talker and fighter, inspired by the desire to be where he is today. He achieved and surpassed what he set out to do.

I see zero reason for him to fight. He should try coaching or something.

Guys like him don't make good coaches/trainers.  Ego is too big to see his fighters get the limelight.

[irishdave]

Matt, paddy and mick would be slurs but the Irish would laugh it off unlike other “ethnicities” who many cry if you say the N word yet they use it in every fuckin song

[ThisisOverload]

I agree with this. Although he may fight again, the insane hunger that he once had is gone. He was the ruthless talker and fighter, inspired by the desire to be where he is today. He achieved and surpassed what he set out to do.

I see zero reason for him to fight. He should try coaching or something.

But the wolf on the hill--         
The wolf on the hill, right...
is not as hungry
as the wolf climbing the hill.

That's true, he's not as hungry.
But when he wants the food, it's there.

 

[pellius]

I still think Conor can make a HUGE comeback.

Yes, he got knocked out or possibly gave up while being on the receiving end of a shower of strikes, but I don't think he's totally gone the way of Ronda Rousey. Conor has great standup. He's amazing with speed, timing and distance. Those types of gifts go a long way when it comes to the fight game. I think his ground game is very average, nowhere near "very" good, but that was never his forte. He has a good way of reinventing and adding to his arsenal of weapons. Something which many fighters aren't capable of doing.

I can respect the comments suggesting that fighting will not change his financial circumstances much (especially in the UFC - where he probably still cleans $5-10million per fight). That said, money doesn't last forever and while his various side businesses (Proper 12 etc.) likely gross him a pretty penny, it's hard for a guy that was once dirt poor, and who has now grown to be a world superstar, to go back to anything near what he once had to face in the form of adversity. Even if he never ends up poor, it's not out of the realm of possibility as we see time and time again with many professional athletes. When you spend as if you own a printing press at home, it does dwindle and sometimes disappears all together.

Besides, Conor is genuinely entertaining. He's a character, much like a well-polished forum troll that knows how to drop fire by way of incredibly hilarious commentary, Conor knows how to deliver when & where it counts. Separate from that, he is the BIGGEST star in all MMA. The UFC needs rock stars, it's how the company gathers viewers (pay per view buyers and ESPN+ subscribers). Take him out of the picture and while you can slowly create or buy more stars (Chandler etc), it doesn't do the brand well. I see the UFC as a brand that needs these types of characters BADLY. They literally keep the lights on.

Israel Adesanya, Jon Jones, Khabib, McGregor, Artem Lobov etc, these are the types of names that keep this business afloat. Moreso now than ever, when the UFC expects people to become subscribers to ESPN+ (pay a monthly fee for that alone) and then still pay additional fees per each pay per view event. That's bullshit.

"1"

Artem Lobov?

[OneMoreRep]

Artem Lobov?

That was the inclusion of humor to keep it funny for the masses.

"1"

[pellius]

He already made more money than the majority of UFC fighters in their prime years. (Even more than some made during their whole career)

Conor only fights for money now, not legacy

Actually, it seems to me to be the opposite. He doesn't need money but his legacy as a fighter has been tarnished. He is no longer thought of as this "Mystic Mac" who has this unworldly talent. His several losses no longer puts him in the top of top like GPS, Jones, and Silva in his prime. He will need several big wins to put him back on the legend list and he can use ring rust as an excuse for this recent lost.

[AbrahamG]

He got too much too soon.  Lost the hunger and the drive to get better.  Also, if we're honest, after his impressive run through 145 including Aldo nothing has been particularly impressive at all since then.  His wins against Max, Dustin and Mendes were very good and look better as time goes on.  After that?  Credit for knocking Aldo cold.  But, Aldo lost that fight before the bell even rang.  Conor mind fucked him.  Eddie Alvarez?  Conor probably got lucky that Alvarez got lucky against RDA.  Alvarez was tailor made for Conor.  Khabib beat him in every facet of the game.  Cowboy has been shot for years.  Dustin made relatively easy work out of him.  Where does he go from here?  Diaz makes the most sense.  Both in terms of money and a very winnable fight.  Lose to Diaz and retire.  Win and it has to be impressively and he's on the way to a rebuild.  I've probably said this already but I'd go Diaz, Ferguson and then Poirer. 

[Kwon]

People would love Ferguson VS Conor

[pellius]

That was the inclusion of humor to keep it funny for the masses.

"1"

Ah.

[MAXX]

bumped into this analysis on the tubes

interesting