Matt Brown has raised questions regarding Conor McGregor's mindset and future in the sport after a planned fight with Michael Chandler fell through. There is speculation about what’s next for the former two-division champion. 

McGregor last fought in 2022, when he suffered a devastating leg injury in a fight with Dustin Poirier in a trilogy bout that resulted in Poirier's victory. While speaking about McGregor on The Fighter vs. The Writer, Brown pointed out that McGregor is not grinding like others in the sport and doubts fans will see the same McGregor ever again. 

While looking back on the fight, Brown feels Poirier changed McGregor in more ways than people realize. 

When that [fight] happened, it looked to me that Dustin took his soul that day,” Brown said. “I think we all felt that. Maybe we didn’t know it would be as severe as it is. We thought Conor’s a warrior, he’ll be back soon. But when you back and you watch that fight, Dustin took his f*cking soul.

Brown added, “I thought Nate Diaz might have taken a little bit the first time, but Conor bounced back from it. Whatever Dustin did to him, I think Dustin actually took his soul, and he no longer had the desire to compete anymore.”

UFC President Dana White has stated that he expects the megastar to return to the Octagon in early 2025.