Joe Rogan thinks Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 comeback was about proving something, and he isn’t sure that was the right reason to fight.
Speaking on the JRE MMA Show with UFC heavyweight Sean Sharaf, the longtime UFC commentator said McGregor looked driven to show he still belonged at the top.
Like, it seemed like Conor was doing it to show that he could still do it. It seemed, and I don’t know, you know, I didn’t talk to him. I haven’t had a conversation with him as a person, but it seemed like he wanted to be on top again.
Rogan questioned whether that motivation makes sense for a fighter with McGregor’s money.
And you got to wonder, is that the best motivation for a guy that’s worth half a billion dollars and is f—- living in the lap of luxury. Is he just chasing that ‘high’ or is he chasing that dream?
The return fell apart fast. McGregor injured his right knee early in the fight with Max Holloway on July 11 in Las Vegas. Referee Mike Beltran stopped it after 69 seconds, giving Holloway a first-round TKO win.
McGregor later underwent ACL surgery. It was his first fight since he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. He has not won since beating Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020.
Rogan traced the slide back to McGregor’s 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Before that, he said, McGregor was hungry for a title.
So, like when he knocked out Jose Aldo, he was chasing the dream. He was a juggernaut. He was storming through the division. He was knocking everybody out.
So, then you achieve it, and then I think the big derailment was the Floyd Mayweather fight, right?
Rogan still credited McGregor for lasting into the 10th round against “one of the greatest boxers of all time.”
McGregor has one fight left on his UFC contract. He has said he plans to return for that final bout once he recovers from surgery.
