Chael Sonnen believes it's 'foolish' to think Conor McGregor is going to come back

Will former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor ever make a return to the octagon?  Chael Sonnen doesn’t think so and believes it’s ‘foolish’ to think McGregor will come back.

McGregor’s octagon return was booked against Michael Chandler for UFC 303 on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but he was forced out of the bout due to a toe injury. Chandler, no longer waiting to face the Irishman, has booked a fight against former champion Charles Oliveira in the UFC 309 co-main event on Nov. 16.  

“I don’t know what to make of Conor. We’re looking foolish at this point by continuing to act as though he’s going to come back,” Sonnen said on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast. “The truth is, the night he went down broken in two by Dustin Poirier, it was unlikely he was going to return. When he got other opportunities, selling the whiskey brand, finding himself in movies with Jake Gyllenhaal, it was unlikely that Conor was going to return.  

“When he got a stubbed pinky toe, that may or may not be broken and may or may not belong to him and he walked away from a press conference in his hometown and did not show up for the match on June 29th, it was unlikely that Conor was going to return. Even baseball tells you three strikes, you’re out. At some point, we all have to accept this and move on.”

McGregor has been out of action since breaking his leg in a trilogy bout against Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. McGregor last tasted victory in January 2020, defeating Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone via technical knockout in just 40 seconds.