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Former UFC fighter Ben Askren has made a bold claim by stating that Conor McGregor's recent fights haven't been as huge as they once were.
During a recent interview with MMA Island, Askren stated that there was a different level of hype surrounding McGregor when he fought for UFC titles. 'Funky' believes that a McGregor fight is still quite a big deal but it's certainly not on the same level as it once was.
Askren went on to add that McGregor's fights against the likes of Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez were gigantic. However, the Irishman is currently on a huge losing skid, having lost 3 of his last 4 fights.
"When McGregor was competing for UFC titles, there was so much hype around him and now a McGregor fight is still a big fight but it's not the same thing that it was, right? I mean we're thinking when he's getting ready to fight Jose Aldo or Eddie Alvarez, those fights were just so gigantic and nowadays lost, three or four maybe or four or five, something like that," Askren said.
Continuing along the same lines, Askren said that fans will surely be excited about a McGregor fight nowadays but not as much as they used to be.
"People will be excited for the next Conor McGregor fight but they are not going to be as excited as they were back then."
Check out Ben Askren's interview with MMA Island below:
Conor McGregor is expected to be back into the octagon later in 2022
Conor McGregor is currently on the back of a disastrous 2021, following two back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier. McGregor's last fight was at UFC 264, as he and Poirier completed their trilogy, with the Irishman breaking his leg during the contest.
McGregor has been on the road to recovery since the gruesome injury and is expected to make his return this year. As of now, it is not known who the Irishman will be facing once he gets the green light to compete again.
Prior to McGregor's two losses to 'The Diamond', he was successful in his fight against Donald Cerrone in 2020. Before beating 'Cowboy', the former UFC lightweight champion was beaten by arch-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.
