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“Don’t rule Conor McGregor out of a successful return to MMA” – former fighter Mark Weir
As Irish Mixed Martial Artist and Boxer Conor McGregor recovers from a bizarre broken leg sustained in his trilogy match loss to Dustin Poirier, former fighter Mark Weir says lovers of the sport shouldn’t rule the fighter out of a successful return to the sport.
McGregor, with a 20-6 MMA record, must have been reflecting on his recovery period on a 5-year run that has seen the former champion of the two-weight division, winning just one of his four UFC fights amid burgeoning interest in business and a newfound love for professional boxing. In that period, his earnings have risen to the point he topped Forbes’ most recent athlete earning list for the past year.
But, for Mark Weir, Conor McGregor could recover his best form if he centres his mind on the octagon and if he is prepared to work hard to mixing in the elite class of the sport when he’s fit once again.
Weir said via best online casinos usa, “I do believe Conor McGregor has the ability and the ability to knock anyone out. And I don’t think he’s going to lose that yet at that age. A lot of people hit their prime in their early 30s anyway,”
“But with the layoff, he didn’t really have a warm-up fight. People reckon the Donald Cerrone fight was a warm-up fight, but that wasn’t a good warm-up fight. He needs someone of a high level, to push him.
“If he comes back, I think he needs a couple of warm-up fights, start getting that form back – if he’s really hungry to prove a point – and then come back for that rematch.”
Before his showdown with Poirier in Las Vegas, Weir had called for Conor McGregor to channel his aggressive pre-fight persona that followed his meteoric rise through the MMA.
“Yeah, because last time he was being so nice to him (Poirier) and that complete change was strange. Even in the changing room, he looked in a bad mood, like he couldn’t wait to get out there. And that’s the way he used to be. But is it a mask? Is he trying to act the way he used to? Or is he truly how he used to be?”
Like Weir, fans of the sport will head into the week with questions when it comes to MMA’s most high-profile fighter.
Eventually, Weir concludes that a successful return for McGregor hinges on the Irishman’s willingness to accept a gradual rebuild before challenging the best of the lightweight division once more. If he does, Weir can envisage a 4thMcGregor-Poirier fight.
“If McGregor’s hungry enough to prove a point – and I really do believe he could do it. But the motivation is hard because he’s getting how many millions a year,” he said via Reels of Joy.
“It’s whether he wants to set a standard. He’s going to have to climb the ladder again. He’s gone down a step or two. So he’s going to have to have a couple of warm-ups. He’s not starting from scratch, he’s starting from mediocre.
“He’s about halfway down the ladder. If he’s hungry enough to get back up, great. But this about how his wife talks to him, the people around him, the coaches because that plays a very important part if they say ‘just leave it alone mate.'”
