UFC champion Kamaru Usman believes Conor McGregor has been "fighting demons" ahead of his planned comeback to the UFC.
The Irish star has made a return to boxing training for the first time after breaking his leg in defeat to Dustin Poirier last July.
He has suffered a noticeable decline in recent years having won just one of his last four fights in the UFC - against Donald Cerrone at welterweight.
And Usman believes McGregor could be struggling to motivate himself due to experiencing life on silk sheets, and may need to identify his weaknesses to return to the top.
“The hustle is not the same if you are sleeping on silk sheets," Usman told Club Shay Shay. I think it depends on the individual.
"So with him I don’t know why he isn’t as successful, maybe he has a lot of things going on. He has his demons that he is fighting, but I am not going to kick a man while he is down.
“That is the thing about this sport, you have to be honest with yourself. You need to understand the areas that you are weak, and you need to make sure that you are bringing those up to par. That is being able to mix it up together.”
McGregor lost twice to Poirier last year but is hoping he can make a comeback later this year after he is able to make a return to sparring in April.
His outside-of-the-cage behaviour has attracted concern from many with fans concerned about his drinking, after he posted several videos from his pub on Instagram.
McGregor has since doubled down on his previous promise to stop drinking and continue his fight to revive his UFC career.
He has claimed that he currently weighs 190lbs which could signal a return at a higher weight with 170lbs holding several options.
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This includes a potential trilogy with former two-time rival Nate Diaz who has suggested McGregor could secure a third meeting by winning on his return.
Jorge Masvidal could also be another option for McGregor after 'Gamebred' opened the door to a showdown after suffering defeat by Colby Covington.
Usman has also refused to rule out facing McGregor in the future, but believes it is unlikely after claiming that his rival is to blame for the collapse of any previous title shot talks.
"I gave him a chance. I gave him a chance, he was barking because that's what he do now, he tweet a lot," Usman continued. "We call him Twitter fingers now.
"So one time, before I fought [Jorge] Masvidal, he was tweeting a lot. I said, 'Here's your chance. If you pick up the phone right now and called the UFC, they ain't going to say no to you to challenging for the belt.'
"Then, he was quiet. And then the next week he started calling out Anderson Silva, retired fighters, and things like that. So would I fight Conor? The offer is there."
