UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley theorizes that the main reason for Conor McGregor’s delayed return could be that it doesn’t financially make sense for the company.
McGregor is itching to fight and this past weekend expressed his frustration toward the UFC for treating him unfairly. For almost the past year, he’s been expected to return against Michael Chandler, although “The Notorious” hinted that he could fight somebody else. McGregor’s impatience even had him entertaining the possibility of entering the boxing ring next.
“Give me something,” McGregor said in an interview with Talk Sport Boxing. “It was supposed to be April, (and before) it was supposed to be December. They never treated anyone – no one has ever been treated (like this) for all the figures I’ve brought in this game.
“I sell more than all of them combined. I see more than all of them combined. No one in the history of the fight game has ever been treated the way I’m getting treated – to what I came through, to what I bring. … I’m waiting, I’m waiting, and I’m waiting. My patience is wearing thin.”
O’Malley thinks McGregor’s pay structure could be negatively impacting the UFC, hence the struggle to land him on a card.
“You know what’s crazy is Conor is supposedly just begging for a fight,” O’Malley said on his “TimboSugarShow” podcast. “‘Give me a fight. Let me fight, daddy.’ Conor says his patience is wearing thin over UFC inactivity. I wonder if he’s making so much money per fight that it’s really just not that beneficial to the UFC, like they’re losing money when he fights. I wonder if his deal is structured in a way where it’s like, ‘f*ck.'”
McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, hasn’t competed since breaking his tibia in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. McGregor’s manager, Audie Attar, told MMA Junkie earlier this month that they’re hoping to get McGregor on the milestone UFC 300 event in April, with Chandler as the likely opponent.
