Dan Hooker doesn’t think Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 disaster ends his earning power, but he does question whether the Irishman’s body can survive another MMA camp.
McGregor’s comeback against Max Holloway ended by injury TKO almost immediately, reviving the debate over whether he can hold up to another training camp. Speaking to Submission Radio, Hooker argued that McGregor might be better served chasing boxing money than forcing another trip to the Octagon.
Not the end of the world for Conor, in my opinion. He got two fights left on his contract and he’s got rid of one of them without really getting punched in the head at all. So I can’t say it’s the end of the world for him.
Hooker then pointed to boxing, where McGregor has long wanted to go and where the paydays remain enormous.
In reality, he wants to box. He’s been saying this for the longest time. He wants to get out of his UFC contract and he wants to box, and he knows that there’s some crazy money out there. As a boxer, the boxers out there are getting $100 million. So does this hurt that? I don’t think it does at all.
Hooker’s argument is that McGregor’s joints simply take on more risk in mixed martial arts.
Boxing is far less taxing on your body overall. MMA is a lot more taxing on your joints, and you’re more likely to get injured.
Before his five-year layoff, McGregor’s last two outings were both losses to Dustin Poirier, a second-round knockout at UFC 257 in January 2021 and the broken-leg stoppage in their UFC 264 rematch that July.
