Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe we’ll ever see Conor McGregor back inside the Octagon.
Late last year, McGregor re-entered himself into the USADA testing pool. It was the first step toward finally seeing the Irishman make his long-awaited return to the Octagon. On New Year’s Day, fans got another big bit of news from the former two-division champ when he announced that his return would be on June 29 during the promotion’s International Fight Week.
Unfortunately, UFC CEO Dana White has declined to confirm McGregor’s statement and, opting to play coy anytime someone asks when we’ll see ‘Mystic Mac’ back in action.
UFC CEO Dana White on Conor McGregor's claims of a June 29 return: "When Conor's ready to fight, you know we'll announce it." pic.twitter.com/HR4aBoKMo0
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 21, 2024
Speaking about the ongoing drama on his YouTube channel, former three-time title challenger Chael Sonnen suggested that the delay is by no means Conor McGregor’s fault, but clearly the Irishman isn’t getting the hint.
“I do believe that Conor [McGregor] is sincere… I believe Conor can’t get a promoter to sign off,” Sonnen said. “And whatever the reason, at some point you have to elect yourself the Mayor of ‘Get the Hintsville’. Population: You.”
Chael Sonnen Believes Conor McGregor Has Priced Himself Out of UFC Return
Expanding on his statement, Sonnen believes that Conor McGregor has potentially priced himself out of the MMA market leaving the UFC with a lack of interest in finalizing his quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history.”
“It’s called pricing yourself out of the market,” Sonnen added. “With Conor, it doesn’t matter if the excuse is the weight class, they’re not going to do it. That’s it, that’s all you have to do. Okay the weight class, we agree on the weight class, we change the rules, we change the rules, we got to put it in a cage. We put it in the cage, ‘I’ll only fight him in a ring.’
“It’s one of these things, it doesn’t matter what’s the answer. That’s not a real reason to get in the way of a fight if somebody wants to fight, do you understand what I’m trying to say? I think that Conor is actually having this problem. I don’t think the UFC is booking this fight.”
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