5 reasons why Conor McGregor may never win another fight in his UFC career

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the UFC and MMA. The former two-division champion has set pay-per-view records for the promotion as well as annual fighters' salaries. He has become a mainstream superstar and has brought more attention to the promotion.

McGregor is currently recovering from a leg injury sustained during his bout with Dustin Poirier last year. As fans eagerly await his return, it will be interesting to see who the Irishman will face when he makes his comeback.

There are plenty of suitable opponents but it will come down to which matchup will generate the most revenue for the promotion. 'The Notorious' went through a long recovery and will most certainly be looking to get back to competing.

There will be many questions as to which version of McGregor fans will see when he eventually returns. Based on his current situation, it could be risky if he returns too soon.

It'll be important for him to get a full training camp rather than returning immediately after being cleared. This list will look at five reasons why Conor McGregor may never win another fight for the remainder of his UFC career.

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#5. Lifestyle outside the UFC

Conor McGregor is known to live an extravagant lifestyle outside the UFC. He founded a whiskey brand called Proper Twelve. It has been lucrative as he recently sold his majority stake of the brand to Proximo Spirits in a deal worth $600 million.

He is also the owner of The Black Forge Inn, a pub located in Dublin, Ireland. 'The Notorious' has big plans for the pub as he hopes to open many more branches of the pub at different locations around the world. This is great in terms of business, but it also takes away time devoted to fighting.

McGregor's successful business ventures could motivate him to focus primarily on that rather than strictly focusing on his opponents. Having secured generational wealth, it does make it difficult to have the same drive and hunger as he did earlier in his career.

#4. Mind games won't work after recent UFC performances

Conor McGregor is known for his mind games and trash talk leading up to his UFC bouts. He has had many memorable press conference moments with many of the top fighters in the sport. His ability to connect with the crowd and rile them up has proven to be another difficult mental hurdle for his opponents to overcome.

Although 'The Notorious' has gotten in his opponents' heads and steered them away from their gameplan, it will be more difficult. If he continues to lose, his trash talk won't have the same effect as it did in the past.

McGregor's trash talk has worked on fighters like Jose Aldo in the past. However, that was when he was at his best, racking up knockout wins inside the octagon. Now that he's lost back-to-back fights to Dustin Poirier, it might not have the same impact or effect.

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#3. Motivation for UFC success

After achieving everything he has so far in the UFC, McGregor might not have the same motivation. He reached the pinnacle of his combat sports career before he turned 30-years-old. The Irishman became a two-division champion and fought Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match that earned him over $100 million.

Success can be both good and detrimental for a fighter's professional career. The famous scene in Rocky III perfectly sums this up in that when fighters gain success, they lose their hunger.

In McGregor's case, he doesn't have to worry about making ends meet anymore. He also doesn't have to consume himself with the sport to ascend the featherweight or lightweight rankings.

With that in mind, McGregor obviously won't have the same hunger as he did when he was trying to get a title shot. Now that his financial situation has changed, so could his priorities in terms of how often he trains.

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#2. Leg injury sustained at UFC 264

Conor McGregor has a mental hurdle he needs to overcome when he returns to the UFC. He suffered a broken leg in his most recent bout with Dustin Poirier, so he'll need to feel comfortable kicking again. Anderson Silva was in a similar situation after breaking his leg during his bout with Chris Weidman in 2013.

After going through the recovery process, McGregor might be forced to alter his fighting stance and style. The Irishman utilizes a karate stance when he fights, which has helped him find openings and land his powerful left-hand. It will be interesting to see how he performs following the injury and whether he remains aggressive with his strikes.

'The Notorious' might find that his opponents begin targeting his surgically repaired leg if they notice a difference in his movements. Depending on when he returns, the leg injury would have kept him out of action for well over a year of his prime.

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#1. Caliber of opponents he will have to face on his UFC return

McGregor is in a unique situation as he won't have an unranked opponent for his UFC return. Since he is clearly the biggest star in the promotion, he'll be matched up with the most appealing opponent available. This might not work in his favor because it means he'll likely be fighting a top-10 ranked fighter at either lightweight or welterweight.

'The Notorious' has already been linked with bouts against Michael Chandler, Jorge Masvidal, and even former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. Depending on if/when he fights either of them, it could be when they're on a winning streak. .

If McGregor's return is contested at welterweight, there are a lot of matchups that wouldn't be favorable or ideal. The promotion relying on the biggest name possible could result in the former two-division champion's losing skid extending to three straight fights.