What makes a fighter a legend? Is it the belts they win, the records they break, or the impact they leave behind? For Conor McGregor, the conversation often revolves around all three. But when boxing icon Teddy Atlas recently compared McGregor to none other than Muhammad Ali, it left fans wondering: Has the Irishman truly earned the laurels to be mentioned in the same breath as ‘The Greatest’? Or is this simply another bold claim meant to stir the pot?

You’ve probably heard it all before, McGregor is brash, polarizing, and undeniably a showman. But Teddy Atlas sees something more. On his podcast The Fight with Teddy Atlas, the legendary trainer didn’t hold back, saying, “Conor is that guy. He’s been a pioneer in his sport… Ali brought paydays to another level. So did Conor.” That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? Atlas didn’t stop there. “Ali was one of the greatest promoters of all time, and Conor was up there at that level,” he said, drawing parallels between McGregor’s rise in MMA and Ali’s groundbreaking work in boxing.

Think about it, both men revolutionized their sports. Ali made boxing a global phenomenon, while McGregor’s charisma and business acumen turned MMA into a billion-dollar enterprise. McGregor’s crossover fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, which became one of the highest-grossing bouts in history, is often cited as proof of his star power.

Still, not everyone’s buying the comparison. Sure, Conor McGregor brought MMA into the mainstream, but does that put him on par with Ali? Let’s shift gears for a moment. While Teddy Atlas spills poetic wonder about McGregor’s legacy, ‘The Notorious’ seems to have his priorities set. McGregor posted, “I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. I have agreed. I will then seek my return to the Octagon.” It sounds like a blockbuster event, doesn’t it? But there’s just one problem.

Will Logan Paul be the hurdle in Conor McGregor fulfilling his Ali-like legacy?

Well, this situation is ironic! The athlete around whom this mega exhibition was being based, doesn’t seem interested in it after all. Yes! we are talking about none other than Logan Paul. In fact, during the premiere of WWE RAW on Netflix, Paul declared that he’s “done with side quests” and is fully committing to his WWE career. What’s happening here? Because that’s not the response the Irishman was hoping for.

So, where does this leave McGregor? For a man once known as the most dangerous fighter in the UFC, his focus seems to have shifted from competition to spectacle. Sure, a fight with Logan Paul would generate massive headlines and even bigger paychecks, but is this the move of a fighter still chasing greatness? Or is it simply the next chapter in McGregor’s evolution as an entertainer?

Let’s not forget that McGregor still has two fights left on his UFC contract. Will he return to the Octagon to prove he’s still a legitimate threat? Or will these rumored exhibition bouts with influencers define the twilight of his career?

While Logan Paul seems to be slamming the door on a potential fight, McGregor’s insistence raises an intriguing question. Is he chasing relevance, or is he trying to rewrite the rules of what it means to be a combat sports icon? At the heart of this conversation lies a fundamental question, what does legacy mean? Teddy Atlas believes McGregor’s contributions to MMA mirror Ali’s transformative impact on boxing. And there’s no denying that McGregor changed the game, whether it’s fighter pay, global visibility, or the sheer spectacle of his fights.

One thing’s for sure, like Muhammad Ali, McGregor knows how to keep the world talking. So, what do you think? Does McGregor belong in the same league as Ali? Or is this just another chapter in the wild, unpredictable saga of ‘The Notorious’?