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Conor McGregor has a decision to make. Should he hang his gloves up or fight on? It has to be one that's exceedingly difficult to make, whichever way the Irishman goes, as each option presents its upsides and pitfalls.
On the one hand, returning to the octagon is the only path to redemption. Trying to get rid of the unpleasant aftertaste of defeat is as powerful a motivator as any for most fighters. Even Conor McGregor, the man who seemingly has everything in life, is not immune to that.
The problem is that McGregor won't be returning from just any other loss. He will have to do so with a compromised body and mind after having sustained a freak accident at UFC 264. How well will he recover from a broken leg? Nobody knows.
If he's not careful, McGregor might suffer the same fate as Anderson Silva – who chased after a pipedream anchored by hopes of redeeming himself. Of course, that never came for Silva. That's not to say, however, that being talked about in the same breath as 'The Spider' is something to be ashamed of.
Most fighters would kill to have the legendary Brazilian's career. However, it's undeniable that Silva's career is arguably the single most infamous cautionary tale in the sport.
For Conor McGregor, it's not too late to protect his legacy from taking any more damage than it has. All he has to do is to call it quits and retire as a legend. After all, he has everything a fighter could ever ask for sans a graceful exit from the sport.
The narrative of his career could be spun in a way in which McGregor is viewed as a victim of misfortune rather than a great who failed to withstand the test of time. The only unlucky Irishman in history, if you will. But that entails McGregor being at peace with letting his fighting life end on a melancholic note.
Conor McGregor contemplated retirement
Conor McGregor toyed with the idea of retiring years ago. This was way before his fame and riches were at the astronomical level that they are today.
Now, imagine a world in which Conor McGregor decided to "retire young" as he threatened he would back in April 2016. Wild, isn't it?
No 'Money Fight' with Floyd Mayweather. No Proper No. Twelve and no topping the Forbes list as a result. Your first-ever UFC champ-champ is Daniel Cormier.
His legacy, from a purist perspective, would have been placed on a higher pedestal than where it is at the moment. After all, there's something about a brilliant career cut short – a thought-matter for the imagination – that resonates with sports fans.
He would still have his knockout over Jose Aldo. He would still have gotten one back from Nate Diaz. But beyond that, 'The Notorious' would have been just another lonely bandwagon that lost its steam.
In hindsight, Conor McGregor's decision to fight on worked out stupendously well for him. Based on his recent comments, it appears the Irishman is intent on making one more run. A UFC return for the Irishman is only a matter of when. The more important question is:
Should Conor McGregor return to the UFC?
The short answer is: absolutely. But not without a caveat. The worst thing Conor McGregor could do is return against Dustin Poirier in his first fight back.
No doubt Poirier will not hesitate to fight him again. 'The Diamond' would welcome the opportunity to make an obscene amount of wealth, and Dana White would let that fight happen for the exact same reason.
But nobody – aside from diehard McGregor stans – needs to see a fourth fight between Poirier and McGregor. As anti-climactic as UFC 264 had concluded, Poirier won the trilogy at the end of the day.
The Irishman is in no position to warrant a rematch against the top-ranked UFC lightweight (and possibly the world champion, by the time McGregor returns). And, to be quite frank, doing so would all but guarantee a third consecutive loss to Poirier – not the most ideal way to come back from a long layoff.
That's not to say, though, that McGregor is done for like his naysayers would suggest. There are matchups that are both intriguing and reasonable for McGregor's first fight back from recovery. Perhaps a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz or a potential instant-classic showdown against Tony Ferguson. But that's a story for a different article altogether.
