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In Defense of Conor McGregor
Three things to start. Yes, I know Conor is worth like a quarter billion. Yes, I know Conor has millions of fans world wide. Yes, I’m aware Conor talks more shit than anyone else in combat sports.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way.. I need to address the years of bullshit I’ve heard from other fight fans, casual and hardcore alike. This man doesn’t need my defense.. he is otherworldly successful, famous, and rich. This isn’t for him. This is for all the poor souls behind a keyboard, or maybe after a few drinks with their friends, that all will be saying the same bullshit things about the notorious one.
I’ll go through the top generic comments I’ve heard/seen, and why you all shouldn’t be so quick to ride the “Conor McGregor is washed” wave.
Conor Hater Generic Line #1
“He will never fight in the octagon again, he too rich now”
While he sat on the sidelines, recovering from his injury and taking all of the illegal drugs (performance enhancing and recreational), many fans assumed we would never see the Irishman in a UFC octagon again. I mean, what more does the man have to accomplish? God know he’s has money and other options, so why would he return to mixed martial arts? We have all heard the famous quote..
This is only true if money is your only motivation. Some fighters do it for the paycheck, like Derrick Lewis. These types will fight as long as the UFC keeps paying. Others, like Jose Aldo? It isn’t about money, it’s about much more than that.
With Conor it’s been a mixed bag. First, it was about being the best. Fighting whoever whenever. Then it became about money, when he switched sports and took on one of the best boxers in the world. He spent his time after that half involved in MMA and half taking on various business ventures, up to including the filming and promotion of Road House.
Multitasking doesn’t work in this sport, and I think Conor’s latest run is proof of that fact. Now a days? Proper 12 has been sold. Roadhouse is released. There’s nothing on the docket other than his UFC comeback, and boy does he want it. He has spoken passionately about getting re-immersed back into the sport. He tried when doing the Ultimate Fighter, but still had too much going on. Now? Nothing on the docket but MMA. His latest venture into ownership of Bare Knuckle Fight Club proves it, he’s planning to be involved with nothing but fighting for the time being.
Plus - haven’t you guys ever seen Rocky III? He had all the money in the world and lost the eye of the tiger. You don’t think you can get that shit back?
Conor Hater Generic Line #2
“Conor was only good because he was a weight bully at 145”
Yeah, he was his most dominant at 145, which looked like was big cut for him. But let’s not pretend like he was some grappler who dried himself out, blew up on fight day, and used his weight to outwrestle everyone. By this logic, I guess Alex Pereira was also a weight bully when he fought at 185.
Besides, here is his record by weight in the UFC (10-4)
Featherweight: 7-0
Lightweight: 1-3
Welterweight: 2-1
So 3-4 outside of featherweight. I would argue this mixed bag of results is more related to how consistent he was with the sport, not his weight. Plus, he’s 2-1 at welterweight, which happens to be the weight class of the Chandler fight.
That being said, the historical weight discussion almost doesn’t matter as Conor looks like a totally different human now. He looks like a legit welterweight all the sudden, which changes all of the math on how he may perform at this weight class.
Conor 145
Conor Now
Conor Hater Generic line #3
“Conor has won 1 fight since 2016. He’s not good anymore”
Why must we write off Conor because he has losses to Khabib and Dustin Poirier? Two great fighters if you ask me. Or is it the time it’s been since he was dominant?
Yes, he’s had 4 MMA fights (and a boxing match) in the last 7-8 years. That is cause for concern as I think staying somewhat active is key in this sport. That being said, in this time he’s taken little or no damage other than one KO loss back in 2021. Unlike some other fighters like Tony Ferguson who has been getting his brains bashed in, Conor still has his health. Assuming is surgically repaired leg is now better than ever, this may be a perfect time for a comeback. Full health and plenty of rest may actually be beneficial to Conor if he wants to make one more UFC run.
Plus - this time? He’s not coming back and dealing with Khabib. Not even Dustin Poirier (yet). It’s Micheal Chandler. Not that he’s a slouch by any means, but I feel it’s a good matchup for a comeback (more on this later).
Conor Hater Generic Line #4
“Conor drinks and does coke now, no way he can compete in MMA anymore”
See Heavyweight champion and MMA G.O.A.T Jon Jones. Just gotta put in the work during camp and all will be well.
Conor Hater Generic Line #5
“Conor hasn’t been relevant in [insert years]. We can stop talking about him now”
No, we can’t. His story continues to be interesting and compelling. His business ventures, movies, and fights continue to be worth talking about. He has one of the most iconic meteoric rises in all of sports, not just MMA, and I don’t think this journey ends with a broken leg. I don’t think he does either, so buckle and enjoy a proper ending to this story.
As an aside, Netflix better redo “McGregor Forever” to include his rise to superstardom as well as this comeback.
Chandler Matchup
At first, I was worried about this fight for Conor. Chandler was an active fighter in his prime. He has cardio, wrestling if he wants it, a lot of things that aren’t good for Conor.
Then some time passed.. Conor looks big. Chandler has not been active. I don’t know how uneven this fight is anymore. Both guys will be coming off a layoff and both guys will be fresh. If Chandler rushes in with that pressure he’s known for, it could be a big mistake against someone with the counter punching ability that McGregor has.
Also, Chandler may let the moment get to him after this long wait. One thing we know for sure is Conor will have no issue with the hype and the moment. Conor is a man who has fought with a whole country on his back with some of the most high pressure moments this sport has ever seen. When The Foggy Dew starts playing, and Conor makes his walk to the ring, will Chandler be able to remain composed?
Conclusion
If Conor beats Chandler on June 29th, will you all shut your yaps about how washed McGregor is? Chandler is #6 in the lightweight division at the moment. It doesn’t make that much sense that Conor takes his spot there as this fight is at 170.. but it lands him in the top 10 somewhere.
Imagine a world where on June 29th, Conor secures a knockout of Micheal Chandler in spectacular fashion. He gets on the mic and screams “The king is back!”. Cuts a promo where he calls out welterweight champ Leon Edwards, or Charles Oliveira at lightweight. How much more interesting did one of those two divisions just become?
To me? If he beats Chandler, Conor is all the way back and the sky is the limit. So drop the negativity now while there is still time. Soon enough, we will see the greatest return in combat sports history, and I would hate to see you miss the boat.
BONUS!
Micheal Chandler Defense
Why is everyone hating on Chandler? He is been taking on fun and challenging fights for many years now. So what he waited for the Conor fight.. this is what legacies are made of. If Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje taught us anything, this is what matters. Big fights and rememberable moments.
He just fought for the belt and lost in 2021, there is currently a line to get at Islam, which would have been a difficult fight anyway.. why not do a legacy fight for millions of dollars? It was either that or continue to do battle with Gaethje and Poirier. His brain thanks him for the reprieve.
Dana White has confirmed this event already crushed all previous UFC gate records (over $20 million). I think it’s time for everyone who talked smack about him sitting out to start publicly admitting that they were wrong, becuase Chandler hit this one out of the park.
