Photo courtesy of MMA Fighting.

Once upon a time, December 2016 to be exact, Conor McGregor was untouchable. He had just defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the Undisputed World Lightweight Championship, in one of the most one sided championship fights of all time and become the UFC’s first ever simultaneous two division champ,
and on the cusp of a multi million dollar mega fight with Floyd Mayweather.

Fast forward five years, to August of 2021 and McGregor is unquestionably in the worst run of his career. 1-3 at Lightweight, and with just one win in the UFC since 2016 against an older Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, McGregor’s career looks to be in serious trouble.

McGregor has always been known to let his thoughts fly on social media, giving his thoughts post fights usually on a former or future opponents performance. But this time feels different.

McGregors recent social media jabs, were directed at two well respected former UFC champions in Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping. Going after ‘DC’ last week in a series of tweets, labeling the former champion as a “fat drunk” in relation to his commentary at UFC 264. McGregor this week proceeded to go in on former MiddleWeight World Champion, Michael Bisping.

The difference between these tweets, and the ones of old, are plain and simple. Wins and losses. After being KO’d in January, and TKO’d last month, these tweets that McGregor throws out, seem to have no real substance or value behind them.

A McGregor that’s winning fights, and kicking ass, people listen to and love. A McGregor that we’re witnessing at the moment, is one that is losing more followers than he’s gaining. I for one, have been a die hard Conor McGregor fan, since the beginning. But even for a die hard fan like myself, it’s getting harder and harder to stand up for McGregor, especially after his comments towards Khabib Nurmagomedov and his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Conor McGregor, unfortunately is not the fighter he once was. Age, injury’s, time off and more money than you could poke a stick at, are all big factors that have played a part in McGregors form slump. Originally I wanted McGregor vs Porier 4. Then I woke up and realised how obscene that really is.

For McGregor, the only real options I see moving forward would be to finish the trilogy with old rival Nate Diaz, or take a payday fight with Jorge Masvidal.

I hope I’m wrong. Conor McGregor is good for the sport and for the UFC. But only when he’s winning. I hope we see him return to form and have one last championship run. Only time will tell.