New Conor McGregor Sparring Footage Gets Mixed Reactions
It’s safe to say that Conor McGregor has had quite an illustrious career. Since he started competing professionally in mixed martial arts in 2008, he’s gone on to break many records related to his MMA career. These include being the highest-paid athlete in 2021 (reportedly earning $180 million) and becoming the biggest pay-per-view draw in the history of MMA matches.
He’s taken part in 28 top-level MMA matches and won no fewer than 22 of them. While McGregor has attracted a lot of attention for his skills as an MMA fighter, he’s faced some negativity at various points throughout his career. Just recently, for example, he faced criticism for a sparring video. He’s even been called a ‘gym bully’ for what he did.
Sparring Video Footage
It’s worth pointing out that as of August 2025, McGregor hasn’t actually competed in an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match since 2021. He’s apparently hoping to compete again in 2026 and has been training in Italy.
As part of his training program, he’s been sparring with all sorts of fighters. A video that’s been doing the rounds online shows that McGregor hasn’t been going easy on his opponents, some of whom are quite young. He’s been quite rough and intense, to the point where his opponents don’t stand much of a chance of winning against him.
McGregor is a world-class MMA fighter with a wealth of experience, not to mention an impressive amount of strength and skill. The fact that he’s willingly taking on opponents who are nowhere near as capable hasn’t gone down well with those who have watched the video. One critic is Ben Askren, a former MMA fighter and Olympic wrestler. He said about the video, ‘What does beating up fighters who aren’t good prove or do to make you better?’
An Amateur Fighter Tries a Takedown
Another recent video shows McGregor taking on an opponent who is said to be two or three divisions below him. Taking this into account, McGregor should have the clear advantage. However, the video shows McGregor going up against an amateur fighter at a local gym in Italy.
The fighter tries a takedown on McGregor. He isn’t able to complete it, but he does manage to take McGregor’s back. People who have commented on the video have expressed surprise that an amateur fighter was able to do what he did. The general consensus seems to be that McGregor should have been able to defend himself better and isn’t perhaps as capable as he used to be.
While McGregor has attracted criticism for the videos, not all reactions to them have been negative. Some reports have mentioned that McGregor is known for having quite hard sparring sessions. After all, he is one of the world’s top MMA fighters. There’s also the fact that the opponents who fought him might have been less capable, but they knew what they were doing.
Conor McGregor sparring with young fighters in Italy, and he wasn’t going easy on them 😳
🎥 @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/M2m6vxPJXx
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 22, 2025
Conor McGregor’s Next UFC Match
As previously mentioned, McGregor is hoping to compete in the UFC again next year. He’s currently in the drug testing roster and is planning on fighting at a UFC White House event that will potentially take place in July 2026. Apparently, he’s particularly keen to fight at the White House as it will be the 250th anniversary of American independence.
There have been reports that McGregor has been removed from the UFC’s roster. However, Dana White, the CEO of UFC, has denied these claims, confirming that McGregor is still in the drug testing phase and is still under contract. It remains to be seen exactly what McGregor’s future with the UFC is. The sparring videos haven’t gone down well, but McGregor could still make a comeback at some point next year.
