Conor McGregor struggles to get up after falling on his own following a kick against opponent Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Sunday. [Getty Images]
Conor McGregor struggles to get up after falling on his own following a kick against opponent Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Sunday. [Getty Images]

Active and retired fighters are urging Conor McGregor, 38, of Ireland to switch to boxing after a string of leg injuries has repeatedly derailed his MMA career.

Lightweight contender Dan Hooker and former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy have both advised McGregor to move to boxing, where leg injuries are a far lesser concern — a suggestion that carries an implicit verdict: his days as a competitive MMA fighter are over.

McGregor, returning to the octagon for the first time in five years, lost by TKO at UFC 329 on Sunday when a right knee injury ended the fight just 66 seconds into the first round. In his previous bout at UFC 264 in July 2021, he suffered a fractured left tibia fighting Dustin Poirier and was also stopped by TKO.

The injury troubles do not stop there. A scheduled 2024 bout against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 was canceled after McGregor sustained a toe injury.

The pattern of recurring leg injuries requiring surgery has taken a severe toll on his career, wiping out prime years that could have been spent building his record and sharpening his skills.

Particularly notable was that Sunday's fight was contested at welterweight — 77 kilograms, above his natural lightweight division — yet fans circulating comparison videos noted his legs appeared noticeably thinner than in his prime. Some have even raised allegations that he concealed an existing injury to honor his fight contract.

Hooker, speaking to Australian outlet Submission Radio, said he still looks forward to seeing McGregor fight one of the sport's big names in a $100 million boxing match. "It's a shame to force Conor to do another MMA fight when his body just isn't allowing it," he said.

"Boxing is obviously a tough sport, but it's much less demanding on the body than MMA," he added.

Hardy, a former UFC welterweight now working as a PFL commentator, was equally pessimistic about McGregor's prospects of returning to MMA. Speaking to the same outlet, he said: "I don't think Conor can do MMA again. The leg injuries he's carrying will hurt his performance."

"The only thing he can do is lace up the boxing boots, put on the gloves and have a few boxing matches," Hardy said, in effect declaring McGregor's MMA career finished.

With McGregor increasingly occupied with his business ventures, a lengthy fighting career seems unlikely in any case. A handful of high-profile, big-money bouts — cashing in on his fame while adding to his fortune — may well be the best ending available to him. A rematch with boxing star Floyd Mayweather, whom he faced in 2017, remains a possibility.

McGregor himself, however, pushed back. On Monday — the day after his defeat — he posted on social media that he would undergo surgery on his knee and then return to fulfill his remaining fight on his UFC contract.


yjc@heraldcorp.com