Ben Askren didn’t hold back on Conor McGregor after his fight with Michael Chandler officially fell through.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was scheduled to return from a three-year layoff to face Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 in June but withdrew after breaking his pinky toe. Chandler exercised plenty of patience waiting for McGregor ever since they filmed Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in early 2023, but he finally decided to move on and will run it back with Charles Oliveira in the UFC 309 co-main event Nov. 16 in New York.
Askren believes McGregor’s lifestyle choices are to blame for why he’s yet to return to the octagon.
“It’s pretty obvious to me that Conor McGregor is an addict,” Askren said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Daniel Cormier. “And he is rich enough that it doesn’t really have a hugely negative impact on his life. Everyone kind of lets him do what he wants to do, but this guy clearly is out partying, can’t show up for training camp. And then because he can’t show up for training camp, he can’t get ready to fight. There’s videos of him partying constantly. And listen, if you’re rich and famous and you’re not murdering anyone or anything worse where you’re going to go to jail, I guess fine, whatever. Go live your life.
“But he did kind of drag on that he was going to fight for two years. So it’s really annoying, but I was on record saying he’s not fighting in 2023. I was on record saying Michael Chandler should move on and just say, ‘Hey, you’re not a serious fighter anymore, you’re an addict and you can’t train.’ I’ve said that many times. …Probably both (drugs and alcohol). I don’t know that I can make any pronouncements without actually seeing him do it, but I’ve watched videos enough to know that this guy is out of control, he’s partying constantly, and from all rumors, he’s on multiple substances.”
Dana White was never confident in a McGregor comeback in 2024 after he pulled out of UFC 303. However, McGregor remains perplexed by his delayed return, claiming that he’s been frequently drug tested and is ready to fight.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
