These are some troubling times for Conor McGregor as the civil assault case by Nikita Hand has impacted him in a major way. Many businesses that used to work with ‘Mystic Mac’ have decided to distance themselves from him to protect their reputations and he has found little support even in his homeland. In fact, when it was reported that McGregor was feeling “betrayed” and might be moving to the U.S., it was met with stiff opposition from some Americans on social media.

The developments have caused a massive speculative wave within the MMA community about his UFC comeback. Dana White has asserted that Conor McGregor might return around next year but there have been no official announcements as of yet and as things are going for the former dual-weight champion, a return to the Octagon might be a far-fetched idea. McGregor is having a hard time winning over the fans no matter what he is doing right now.

Last year around September, the Irishman was awarded the black belt in BJJ by his longtime coach, John Kavanagh. ‘Mystic Mac’ took to his socials to announce his new accolade for his long list of achievements, “Received my black belt tonight from my coach, friend, and mentor, John Kavanagh of SBG Ireland. 20 years of hard work! Thank you John for everything over the years, and to all of my teammates throughout this incredible jiu-jitsu journey! Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart.” Well, a year after being awarded the back belt, Conor McGregor has showcased his BJJ skills, but it didn’t go down well with the MMA community.

‘The Notorious’ uploaded a video on his Instagram story showing off his Jiu-Jitsu skills in grappling session. In the footage, we see McGregor catching his opponent in an armbar and making him tap out. McGregor has been out of action since July 2021, when he faced Dustin Poirier in the trilogy bout at UFC 264.

The Irishman suffered a brutal leg injury in the first round ending the bout abruptly, with Poirier being declared the winner by TKO via doctor stoppage. So does this BJJ training footage indicate his anticipated comeback to the MMA world? Well, nothing can be said with certainty for now but Chael Sonnen believes that the UFC has a perfect matchup for Conor McGregor and they shouldn’t miss it now for anything.

He said, “It’s important to look at it from that perspective because who are you going to put him with? Chandler was a perfect opponent. Chandler still works. Chandler is the correct answer.” 

He further added, “But let’s say you’re not going with Chandler. Dana does not play Checkers; he plays Chess. He is several steps ahead, and if your match does not have meaning for the future—a potential to take you somewhere else—Dana White will not book that match. So, that’s where you start to see if Conor were to return and not be in there with Chandler. That’s where you start to see the likelihood of Conor finding himself across from Paddy ‘The Baddy’ going up exponentially.”

If McGregor finds himself in the cage opposite someone like Paddy Pimblett, he’ll need his grappling and the strength of experience a BJJ black belt implies. But the training clip did not show any of it, at least according to the fans.

Conor McGregor reminded of his loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov amid recent troubles

October 6th, 2018 was the day when Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov finally squared off against each other after months of banter. The highly anticipated clash was nothing less than an absolute cinema. After defensively grappling for the majority of the fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor was finally submitted by the lightweight champ in the fourth round. What ensued after the fight has already been etched in the annals of the promotion’s history and fans, unimpressed by McGregor’s BJJ skills, were keen to remind him of that fateful night.

A fan stated, “Why didn’t he showcase his Jiu-Jitsu skills against Khabib?” while another pointed out, “Should’ve showed Khabib.”

McGregor vs. Michael Chandler was supposed to take place at the UFC 303, however, a toe injury halted the clash, and ‘Mystic Mac’ has seemingly put a return on hold. After the latest clip of McGregor, a social media user was not having it- “Bro man fighting everybody but chandler.”Furthermore, another social media user believes that ‘Notorious’s opponent in the BJJ clip was not even trying to counter him, “Dude on bottom not even trying.”

McGregor’s personal life crisis has been a big talking point. After the civil lawsuit, McGregor was ordered to pay nearly $͏26͏3,000 in damag͏es to Nikita Hand and later he was ordered to pay the entire legal costs, an estimated $1.75 million. Back in his home country, Ireland, hundreds of retail stores removed products associated with him from their shelves.

JD Wetherspoon, a prominent pub chain, removed McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout from all seven of its locations in Ireland, and Ireland’s National Wax Museum removed its figure of the UFC fighter. This led to reports that he is considering moving away from the country altogether. The Irish Times reported, “Conor McGregor feels betrayed after losing his civil court case for s—- assault in Ireland and has plans to move to the United States.”

Even though fans on social media didn’t welcome this news, if he decides to move to the US, the chances of him competing again could go up. A fan mentioned, “I just want to see him back in some sort of fight. but its not gonna happen.” Meanwhile, another fan was unhappy at McGregor competing against someone not on his level, writing, “Dominating a whitebelt.”

A return for Conor McGregor within the MMA realm might have a reverse effect on his reputation now but will he be able to compete at the highest MMA stage after years of inactivity? What do you think?