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MMA legend Michael Bisping believes UFC megastar Conor McGregor is unlikely to ever return to his best. Once considered one of the greatest MMA fighters, McGregor is currently on a two-fight losing streak and is 2-3 in his last five fights.
Intriguingly, former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler recently spoke to MMA Junkie and revealed that he was surprised that his fight against Bryan Barberena would transpire at the UFC 276 prelims.
Bisping addressed the same and indicated that after years of competing on the main card of UFC events, fighting on the prelims is something that’ll probably sting Lawler. Regardless, Bisping stated:
“It’s not a fall from grace. It’s not. And I hope he sees it like that because the reality is – I say this all the time – You can’t stay on top of the fight world forever. You can’t. Just to get to the top once, for one fight, is very hard.”
‘The Count’ noted that while former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira lost his title in his first title defense, Lawler successfully defended his welterweight title a few times during his reign. Bisping then brought up McGregor and explained that the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion might never reach the pinnacle of MMA again:
“We see guys like Conor McGregor, you know, on top of the sport for a long time. Still one of the big; well, the biggest earner by far. But he’s no longer at the top of the sport. He might come back, but I doubt it. Generally, you don’t do that.”
Watch Michael Bisping discuss the topic at 3:10 of the video below:
Ben Askren on Conor McGregor potentially fighting Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight belt
Conor McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury last July. ‘The Notorious’ will reportedly return from his injury hiatus in February/March 2023. McGregor has expressed interest in competing for the UFC lightweight title or the UFC welterweight title in his comeback fight. Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira has proposed a matchup between himself and McGregor for the vacant UFC lightweight title.
Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren believes that McGregor potentially fighting Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title next would be a “dogsh*t idea.” Speaking to The Schmo, Askren said Makhachev and Dariush are much more deserving:
“Obviously, I realize show business and selling tickets has a lot do with who's getting the shots, I have no issues with that. But with guys like [Islam] Makhachev and [Beneil] Dariush... They've won a lot in a row, you've gotta give them a shot at some point."
Watch the interview below:
