Conor McGregor admitted problems, then got an unexpected advocacy from a rival. UFC wants you to die before your contract is up, says Nate Diaz

The Irish fighter announced his return to action in the summer, but he is still waiting. What will happen to him? And why hasn’t he made a comeback? Conor McGregor himself has gently hinted that it’s not his fault. He also found unexpected support from his great rival Nate Diaz.

The Irish star last fought in the summer of 2021

Their rivalry is one of the biggest in the history of the UFC. The tournaments they have headlined are among the most lucrative ever. It is all the more surprising now that Nate Diaz has publicly defended his Irish rival on social media.

He has a lot of sympathy for him. In his own words, he was in a similar situation, which is why he is no longer a UFC fighter. But what’s it all about? Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021. That’s when he broke his leg and lost to Dustin Poirier for the second time.

He’s been waiting in vain for his return. Such a serious injury demanded enough time to recover on its own. Not everyone can return to action in top form. But the Irishman was confident that he would succeed. But there were complications.

Speculation began to swirl about his possible doping, which divided the company. One half, led by the star Daniel Cormier, understood, the other half condemned it. Cormier approved of doping on the grounds that it was beneficial in recovery.

When Conor McGregor announced last summer that he was returning, a major dispute began with the anti-doping agency USADA, the UFC and the Irishman himself. Prior to the fight, the fighter at the time had to be in an anti-doping program for six months or undergo at least two tests before USADA would allow him to fight.

There was talk of an exception for a while, but each side interpreted the rules and the situation completely differently. This is one of the reasons why the UFC and USADA parted ways. However, the return of MMA’s most famous star has not happened to this day.

Why hasn’t Conor McGregor returned to the cage yet?

It has long been agreed that the next opponent of the star Irishman will be Michael Chandler. But when? Many dates have been in play. Even UFC 300 has been rumored. But all of that is passé. Rather, it’s becoming more and more a question of whether Conor McGregor will ever fight again.

He spoke about his situation in a recent interview with The Mac Life. He says he’s been to a few training camps, but has gradually started to lose motivation. And he’s not to blame.

“I was originally hoping for a December date, then a January date. But it kept getting pushed back and I lost interest and stopped training. Not completely, of course. I’m still working out, but my daily concentration on the game has waned and I’ve also been drinking occasionally,” he let slip.

“But now I’m coming back and I’ll be ready to shine. When the date is arranged, I will be ready,” he ended the statement hopefully.

His interview was noticed by Nate Diaz, who stood up for him on social media, ” I was the same way years ago. The UFC wants you to die before your contract is up. It’s up to you how you fight it. Nobody is going to help you. Free Conor.”

So the whole situation is very complicated. And Michael Chandler, who is killing years of his career by waiting for a fight, is certainly not happy about it either, as champion Islam Makhachev has already pointed out.

Source: Twitter, MMA Fighting, The Mac Life