UFC legend Matt Brown never thought Conor McGregor would actually get a rematch, but that belief has only intensified since the Irish superstar pulled out of his planned return bout against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.
Ultimately, the injury derailed McGregor's plans, but there's still no word on what exactly happened or when he'll be able to compete again. The uncertainty has led Brown to believe his original predictions about McGregor's future are coming true.
“He is [come back]Brown said, Fighter vs. Writer“I wasn't shocked to find out he was out of this fight. No, I still feel the same way. He's never coming back.”
“Like I said before, I hope he proves me wrong. I hope I'm wrong. I want to see Conor fight again, have a real training camp with real training partners, push himself hard and get back to the great Conor he was. I would love to see that. I think a lot of people want that. It's not happening.”
When McGregor's return date was first announced, Brown actually congratulated the former two-weight UFC champion on returning after a three-year hiatus.
Despite Brown's hesitation to believe McGregor would actually fight, he hoped he was wrong because he believed mixed martial arts would be a better place with McGregor in it.
Unfortunately, as time passes and the delays to his return increase, Brown feels there are too many red flags to believe that McGregor will actually fight again.
Brown says McGregor may need to give up his UFC future and return to boxing, which is much less taxing on the body.
“Notice I said, 'Maybe he'll prove me wrong.' I remember when you broke the news the first thing I said was, 'I won't believe it until I see it,'” Brown said. “I said, 'Maybe he'll prove me wrong,' and that's a 'maybe.' But I still say the same thing. It doesn't make sense for him to fight again. If he fights again it should be boxing. He shouldn't have to worry so much about his shin. I think what's going on here is his shin isn't working well, he has a titanium or something plate in there and it's not working well so he's struggling.”
“It's been three years. No injury should take three years to heal. I don't see him fighting again in the UFC. Maybe he'll do something else. If he does, I think he should box. He's not a bad boxer. He's not going to fight Floyd Mayweather, but he's a decent boxer. I think he's had some good fights.”
Beyond the fractures McGregor sustained in 2021 and any physical ailments that may still be plaguing him, Browne felt the money “The Notorious” made during his active career was perhaps the ultimate deterrent to another bout.
It's the same reason UFC CEO Dana White continues to question whether McGregor will ever fight again: Financially, the former two-division champion has nothing to do but sit back and collect interest on the millions of dollars he has in the bank.
“I've said it many times, why would he come back?” Brown said. “He's made the majority of his wealth outside of UFC. He's already built his brand with UFC. He has nothing to prove by coming back to UFC. Of course, if he comes back and wins another championship, it'll be a great story and it'll further enhance his brand. I don't think that's going to happen, you don't think that's going to happen, nobody thinks that's going to happen.”
“Obviously, if Conor really wants it and is willing to put in the hard work and put in a tough training camp and bring in some tough guys, I don't think it's impossible. But how motivated is it to do that when you have $500 million in the bank?”
Brown also disagrees with the idea that professional athletes in other sports are earning more than McGregor and still thriving in their careers.
Brown respects the skill LeBron James has to play basketball, but James doesn't risk permanent, life-changing injuries that can occur in a fight.
“People who want to compare it to Kobe [Bryant] “Or LeBron James or whoever it is, 'Those guys have a ton of money and they keep playing!' They're playing shitty basketball. Shut up,” Brown said. “They're really good at basketball. It's not easy to be good at basketball, but it's a completely different sport. You can't compare them.”
“You don't have to be a dog to be a great basketball player. To be a world-class fighter, especially a guy with a name like Conor McGregor, it's like saying Michael Chandler comes in like a f**king dog, now is his time to be a f**king dog, now is his time to shine, now is his chance. To Conor McGregor, this is just another fight. It doesn't have the same meaning at all.”
That's exactly why Brown doesn't understand McGregor's reasons and motivations for fighting again.
“He doesn't have the dog heart that he used to have,” Brown said of McGregor. “If Dustin Poirier made as much money as Conor, he'd lose his dog. If you made that much money, would you be sitting on this podcast right now? Maybe you would, but it wouldn't matter. You know what I'm saying? When you make that much money, you lose your dog heart. Most people do.”
