In a recent turn of events, UFC fighter Conor McGregor was forced to withdraw from a fight after suffering a leg injury. The fight was set to be the Irishman’s return to the cage, but he had to withdraw from the competition, raising more speculations about the 35-year-old retiring.
Although fans are hopeful about his return, UFC legend Matt Brown never had much faith in McGregor’s return. After ‘The Notorious’ recent injury and dropout, Brown believes that the fighter Matt has to consider retiring.
“I was never confident before that he would come back,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “It didn’t shock me when I saw he was out of this fight. No, I’m still on that same train– he’s not ever coming back.
“I say the same thing I said before, I hope he proves me wrong. I hope I’m wrong. I would like to see Conor fight again. I would like to see him do a real training camp with real training partners, push himself hard, go back to the great Conor that he was before. I would love to see that. I think a lot of people would love to see that. It’s not happening.”
Brown’s change of heart came as a bit of a surprise, as he initially supported McGregor in his return and hoped the fighter would return to the cage. However, as time passed, Brown’s conviction waned. He came to believe that the athlete’s time in MMA had passed and that he should consider returning to boxing.
“Notice I said ‘maybe he will prove me wrong’ and I remember when you broke that news, the first thing I said is ‘I’ll believe it when I see it,’’ Brown said. “ I said maybe he’ll prove me wrong, and that’s a maybe. I would still say the same thing. It just doesn’t make sense for him to fight again. If he’s going to fight again, it should be boxing. He doesn’t have to worry as much about the shin. I think most likely what’s going on here is the shin isn’t taking. The titanium or whatever kind of plate they put in there isn’t taking, and he’s having a hard time with it.
“It’s been three years. You shouldn’t have to recover from any injury three years. I’m not convinced still that he’ll ever fight again with the UFC. Maybe he’ll do something else. If he does, I think it should be boxing. He’s not a bad boxer, He’s not a bad boxer. He’s not going to compete Floyd Mayweather ever, but he’s a decent boxer. He’s got some good matches out there, I think. …”
McGregor, on the other hand, seems unperturbed by his injury. The fighter took to Instagram to discuss his injury and future in MMA.
“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout. I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but I’ve made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC, and my team. My fans and opponents deserve me at my best for this fight an we will get there! Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!🍀”
