Conor McGregor is plagued with golden handcuffs. It sounds prophetic and for good reason as the Irishman’s meteoric rise stands as the most characteristic success story in MMA history. The former double champ didn’t just dominate inside the Octagon—he shattered the ceiling of what a combat sports athlete could achieve in fame and fortune. The pinnacle of this transcendence came in August 2017, when McGregor stepped through the ropes to face boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in what became one of the most lucrative sporting events ever staged.

That single night of boxing transformed McGregor’s financial reality forever. Reports indicate the Dubliner pocketed approximately $130 million for his tenth-round TKO loss—a parachute that may have inadvertently altered his fighting future. According to arch-nemesis Dustin Poirier, who slayed him twice in their trilogy, this massive payday marked the beginning of the end for ‘Mystic Mac.’

“He might have the money he made after Floyd [Mayweather], you know. Made a $100 million fighting Floyd,” Dustin Poirier stated on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast. “Came back defending belts, making good money. He got rich, started his business, sold it for a couple hundred million.”

“It’s hard to wake up and run those miles when you sleep in the silk sheets… You have to be fighting for something,” Dustin Poirier added. “That’s why guys like Jon Jones, Khabib [Nurmagomedov]; those guys who make it there and have money, have everything and stay there for that long, that’s impressive.”

Poirier’s words ring true! It is no secret that Nurmagomedov retired undefeated and at the peak of his career, leaving behind a legacy few can match. And props go out to Jones as well who despite being on a similar path as the Irishman made his way back to the cage and now reigns as the heavyweight gold standard. This stands in stark contrast to McGregor, who has struggled to make his return to the Octagon since 2021, unable to recapture the form that once made him one of the sport’s biggest stars.

Just think about it! When you’re sleeping on park benches before fights and struggling to make ends meet, you fight differently. That hunger, that desperation—it fuels something primal. But when your bank account hits nine figures? That edge starts to dull, whether you want it to or not. A perfect encapsulation of the Irishman’s journey who once worked as a plumber to make ends meet. By 2025, that hunger has died, and that greatness is long gone! The evidence supports Poirier’s assessment. Since the Mayweather bout, McGregor has compiled a meager 1-3 record in the UFC, with his lone victory coming against an aging Donald Cerrone.

However, Poirier also hoped that if someone can climb out of that pit, it’s the Irishman. “Look, I love to talk trash on Conor, but if anybody can put it all together and come back, if he can find that passion and that fire, and put it together, this guy can,” Poirier said in the same interview.

“I’m not saying anybody, but this guy can. He’s special. He has something special, but only he knows when he looks in the mirror if he can really do it again. But if he believes it, I believe he could.”

Meanwhile, McGregor’s so-called ‘downfall’ isn’t just because of his big-money fights and business successes. A former UFC fighter and Hall of Famer claimed that the Irishman’s arch-nemesis caused the downward spiral of his MMA career. Let’s take a look at that front.

Did Khabib Nurmagomedov really ruin Conor McGregor?

Khabib Nurmagomedov walked out to the Octagon with malicious intent when he battled Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The buildup to that fight, as we already know, was more heated than it had ever been in the promotion, maybe second only to the infamous Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier rivalry. The Dagestani delivered a dominant beating on McGregor that night, and by the way, ‘The Notorious’ has been insulting ‘The Eagle’ since that loss, which has made Chael Sonnen believe that maybe that fight was the turning point for the Irishman.

“Did Khabib Nurmagomedov give Conor McGregor PTSD and ruin his life? Is that what’s happening? Envy and jealousy are very real things. Conor McGregor has lashed out in ways at Khabib,” Chael Sonnen stated on his YouTube channel. “Conor McGregor deleted some of it [his social media posts aimed at Khabib] many times. Many times he’s gone out on a coke or booze binge or whatever you call it at three in the morning and woken up at 8 am and deleted the things he said. Racial epitaphs and things about the family.”

Conor McGregor has maintained that he wants to come back but Dana White has nothing clear to say about this particular situation. What do you think? Is the former double champion ever coming back? Drop your comments below.