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UFC superstar Conor McGregor recently took to Twitter to shoot back at critics who think becoming rich killed his hunger to become the best fighter in the 155lbs division.
Following his recent loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, many critics and fans claimed that McGregor's glory days are well and truly over. They claimed that the amount of money the Irishman has generated from the sport comes in the way of him striving to become the best version of himself inside the octagon.
Many fans and critics claim that the ferocious desire to win fights and demolish opponents just doesn't exist with Conor McGregor anymore. In a recent interview with MMA reporter James Lynch, McGregor's former opponent Eddie Alvarez claimed that having hundreds of millions of dollars lying in the bank has softened The Notorious One.
"When you have $150 million in the bank it's the opposite of fighting. Fighting is having to deal with adversity everyday. Being told 'no', having to wake up [early], and do things that you don't necessarily want to do. That requires discipline and you become a good fighter as a by-product of all these things that happened throughout your life. Having a $100 million in the bank, where everyone tells you 'yes', you get to make your own schedule, you get to wake up when you want. It's the opposite of having to be a fighter. It actually softens you," Alvarez said.
Conor McGregor has now responded to critics by claiming that 99% of the UFC roster will never step inside the octagon again if they were given a week's wage of his net worth. The message that McGregor is likely trying to convey with the statement is that he competes not for the money but for the love of the sport.
"If you gave 99% of the roster a week's wage of my net worth you’d never see them compete again," McGregor replied on Twitter.
This isn't the first time McGregor has said that. Even in 2018, ahead of his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor claimed to have come back to the UFC for the love of the fight game.
Former opponent advises Conor McGregor to step out of his comfort zone
McGregor's former foe Alvarez also revealed what he believes are the changes Conor McGregor needs to make if he intends to beat Dustin Poirier in their upcoming trilogy bout. Alvarez said:
"I feel like for Conor to come back, he needs to harden himself as a man. In order to do that, he needs to get rid of all of them things. Maybe go away and get out of that world."
Do you think Conor McGregor isn't the same mercurial fighter he once used to be? Sound off in the comments.
