This year marks three years since UFC former two-division champion Conor McGregor went on hiatus after sustaining a “career-ending” injury during a gruesome battle with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. Since then, he has been out of the octagon, although he has attempted to return multiple times. His latest effort was back in June when he aimed to resume fighting at UFC 303 to fulfill his remaining two fights under contract.

However, a “pinky toe” injury derailed those plans, pushing the fight into limbo and frustrating his already designated opponent, Michael Chandler, who had waited over 18 months for his “red panty night.” This situation has left McGregor’s return in an indefinite state, leading fans to question whether he will ever return to the octagon and what his legacy will be.

Recently, Chael Sonnen raised these questions in a brief video on his Instagram, asking, “Conor McGregor—what will his legacy be? Have we forgotten how great he was?” He further questioned the UFC superstar’s commendable achievements, which irked McGregor. The fighter reacted by sharing the clip on his Instagram story, clapping back at Sonnen with, “I’m not done. It’s too handy for me to come back at any time at all and just swipe the game up again entirely. Every walk is a record.”

This isn’t the first time McGregor has hinted at a comeback. At the recent BKFC event, while speaking with Ariel Helwani, McGregor confidently announced his planned return, saying, “It will be 2025.” Yet, longtime supporter Alexander Hernandez expressed that McGregor might be better off staying retired. Let’s take a closer look at the reasoning behind Hernandez’s statement.

Alexander Hernandez Dismisses Conor McGregor’s UFC Return

32-year-old UFC lightweight contender Alexander Hernandez recently bounced back from two consecutive losses by defeating Austin Hubbard in a memorable bout at UFC 307 earlier this month. Like many others, Conor McGregor has always been a source of motivation for Hernandez as he broke into the MMA scene, and he respects the work McGregor has done for the sport. However, Hernandez urged ‘The Notorious One’ to remain retired, implying that it’s wiser to exit gracefully rather than risk tarnishing his legacy at the twilight of his career.

Hernandez shared this sentiment while speaking to ‘Inside Fighting’ on YouTube. When asked for his thoughts on McGregor fighting again, he dismissed the idea, saying, “No, no, I don’t. Yeah, and if he does, he’ll be so far gone that you won’t even want to see it. You know, if it takes another year, it’s like, I don’t want to see it in another year. I’d rather just be done so you can hold the image, you know? So, man, it’s like, God, you just want the guy to lay it down and, in this case, kind of rest on his laurels versus doing anything else that might tarnish the name. So I’m kind of hoping he just doesn’t come back.”

What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor’s words? Do you think he has the potential to reclaim his legacy in mixed martial arts, or is his return increasingly unlikely as time goes on? Drop your opinion below.